Strategics and Swordplay Book 1: Elibe
by pyrosaurus X
Summary: Lyn's Story: A nomadic girl, under the care of a fraud tactician, pushes herself to become the strongest warrior in Sacae so she may avenge her fallen tribe. However, she will soon realize that Fate has a different path in store for her. Her partner may not be able to guide her down that road. Rated for violence and minor swearing.
1. Lyn and the Fallen Traveler

**A/N: Yeah I know, there's a bunch of tactician fics already, haha. Well, I'm just going to contribute to the collection then. I'm going to keep the actions as original as I can, which means I tossed out the game script (but I still reference back to it every now and again) and I'll be adding some plot twists of my own. Also, my tactician is going to be a little overshadowed by the canon characters (in my opinion, they're easier to write because their personalities already show), but she still has a reasonable role in this. Lastly, I don't own Fire Emblem; it belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Read and Review!  
**

* * *

Morning slowly etched its way over the horizon, announcing its arrival with vibrant shades of magenta, orange, and yellow skies. Nature soon came alive again with the birds singing their songs, squirrels and other rodents scampering across the plains, and flowers opening up their buds to receive the warm rays of sunlight. A light breeze traveled across the land, barely swaying the trees and disturbing the dark, green hair of a Sacaen woman. The individual was known as Lyn, the last remaining member of her tribe: the Lorca. The girl of eighteen sat on the moist grass with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. If any were to see her now, she would seem at peace, but inside there was a torrent of emotions stirring within her. It was for this reason that she woke up earlier than usual to meditate and tame the storm inside her heart. She took in a deep breath of the crisp air, and slowly exhaled with a silent _huuuhhhh _sound. She opened her eyes and started to observe the scenery before her.

_Today marks six months…_ She thought, but then she immediately chided herself. The purpose for her meditating before dawn was to rid her mind of the unwanted, horrific images that tainted her memory. She rose from her spot on the grass and chose to begin her day; anything to distract her from going to her dark place. She returned to her hut to retrieve her bow and arrow and went out into the woods for a hunt. As she swept through the paths, leaping over roots and fallen trunks alike, a memory came back to her; nothing like the dark, morbid ones she'd been having.

"_Ah! No…can someone please get me down?" came a whiny voice._

_Lyn searched for the source of the voice and finally her eyes settled on a purple-haired, young girl. She wore the armor of a Pegasus knight, but seeing how she was stuck in a tree, it was hard to believe._

"_Are you okay?" Lyn called to her._

"_I-I'm not hurt. Just stuck. Can you…ah no! Don't come closer!"_

_Lyn raised her brow in confusion. Wasn't this girl asking for help a moment ago? Lyn then realized that her bow was still in her hand, which was probably making the Pegasus knight a little apprehensive. Without a second thought, she cast the bow aside and began to ascend the tree._

"_It's okay." She tried to reassure the young girl. "I'll get you down. Here, take my hand."_

_The girl looked as though she had never seen a hand before. Could she trust this stranger? She had heard stories about the Sacaens' barbaric and cultic nature, but this girl seemed different. Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound filled her ears, and terror filled her soul once again._

"_BEES!" She exclaimed. It sounded as though the swarm was coming right for her. Not even considering things, the girl jumped into Lyn's arms. Lyn was caught off-guard and released her grip on the tree, sending both girls plummeting to the ground. Lyn felt the wind get knocked out of her as the younger girl crashed on top of her body._

"_Oh! I'm sorry!" The girl quickly got up and offered Lyn her hand. "Are you injured?"_

_Lyn coughed up some dirt and saw a scrape on the palm of her hand, but she was otherwise fine. "Don't worry about it. Just a few scratches. How did you get up in that tree anyway?"_

"_Well, I'm a Pegasus knight-in-training from Ilia. I'm still getting used to riding a Pegasus, but I lost my balance and fell." Her face turned red with embarrassment. "Thank you for saving me."_

"_It was no trouble at all. My name is Lyn."_

"_I-I'm Florina."_

"_Nice to meet you, Florina. Where is your Pegasus right now?"_

_Florina's eyes dilated with shock. "I…I don't know! He must have flown off after I fell!"_

"_Don't panic. I'll help you find him."_

"_You will? Oh thank you, Lyn!"_

_Lyn smiled. She felt that she and this girl would become fast friends._

Lyn broke out of her nostalgic trance when she caught sight of a rabbit trapped in a thorn bush. The skin was torn in various places with dots of blood staining its coat. Both of the hind legs were disfigured, possibly broken. A sigh escaped Lyn's throat as she readied her quiver. The little rodent would just suffer until a predator would violently mangle it to death. Her aim was true, and the rabbit quickly and painlessly escaped its anguish. Lyn did her best to free the corpse without puncturing the skin (and herself). She wrapped it in a cloth, placed the bundle into her pouch, and started her way back home, occasionally stopping to pick some fruits from the trees and shrubs. She considered pretending that her friend was walking beside her, but she just chuckled at the thought. Only the mentally insane would behave like that, and she was not willing to give in to the side effects of loneliness. No matter how much it hurt…

* * *

Lyn munched on an apple as she let the rabbit cook on a skewer. She estimated the time to be about five hours after noon, judging by the position of the sun. She wished she had a sun dial in her possession at the moment. In fact, she did have one, but it was lost when her tribe…

"NO!" Lyn brought her fist down on the table. "I can't keep living in the past."

She seethed to herself out of frustration, until she was able to calm down somewhat. Maybe she was going mentally insane. Finally, the rabbit was cooked enough and she focused on getting it spiced up for her dinner. Suddenly, a loud crash rang out, causing the Sacaen to flinch.

"What was that?" Lyn wondered aloud. "I better go check it out."

She reached for her sword and immediately rushed out the door. When she went outside, Lyn growled when she saw what the problem was: bandits. They looked like they were about to attack one of the villages. Lyn narrowed her eyes and slowly crept up behind a bush. When one of the bandits wasn't looking, she quickly lunged at him and engaged him in combat. She successfully sliced open his abdomen, but he was able to retaliate and nick Lyn in the shoulder. She winced, but didn't cry out in pain. Instead, she got into an offensive stance and with great precision, ran her sword through the man's neck. The bandit gurgled on his own blood before dropping to the ground, dead. Lyn wiped the sweat off her brow and withdrew a vulnerary from her satchel. She heard an enraged shout from the gang's ringleader when he saw one of his members lifeless on the ground. Lyn quickly took a swig of the medicine before getting ready to fight with another bandit. The bandit ran up to her with his axe raised in the air, but she effortlessly dodged his attack and fatally ran him through the back with her blade. She smirked, this was almost too easy. She faced the ringleader by the ger and began to approach him. He was stunned to see a lone woman take out her members, but he wasn't about to lose to her. He put on his most menacing glare and flexed his muscles for show.

"How dare you kill off my boys!" he shouted. "But do you really think you can stand up to me, Batta the Beast? Hah! This will be fun, hacking your body into pieces."

Lyn nearly spat in disgust. Saying she despised bandits was an understatement. The hatred for them burned in her eyes and she wouldn't give up until their blood was spilled by her own hands.

"I won't lose to a low-life bandit such as yourself." Lyn retorted. "May you be damned by my sword!"

With that, Lyn charged him with fierce anger in her eyes. She went for the chest, but he was able to easily dodge it. Then, seeing an opening, Batta heaved his axe and sliced a huge, bloody wound in her gut. He laughed when she cried out in pain.

"Haha! I knew you wouldn't be able to beat me! Now you're dead, babe."

Lyn swallowed up her pain and glared at him with the intent to kill. Raising her sword, she muttered, "Taste my blade."

She ran towards him, but instead of striking him down, she swiftly moved and performed multiple slices so fast, not even Batta could tell where she was. Finally she stood in front of the bandit and watched as he toppled over like a tree.

"What…how did you…" He left his sentence unfinished when he gave in to death.

Lyn crossed her arms and drained some more of the vulnerary. She took care of the bandits, but that didn't satisfy her. Batta nearly killed her with just _one _swing of his axe.

_I really need to get stronger._ Lyn began to walk away until a strange feeling rose in her. She went back to the ger and opened the flap.

"Is anyone in here?" She asked, but got no response. _The people who live here probably went out or something._

She was about to leave when she heard a muffled sound coming from behind her. Lyn turned around and saw someone bound and gagged on the floor. It looked like a young boy, probably about the age of sixteen. He had brown hair and wore a hooded green-and-yellow tunic with gray pants. From the looks of it, he had been beaten senselessly, for there were many bruises and scrapes across his face and limbs. One of his eyes was blackened and swollen, and there was a giant slot in his forehead that was leaking blood. Lyn was almost sick at the sight, but regained her senses and started to free the kid of his bindings.

"Don't worry." She said. "You're safe now. The bandits are no longer alive. My name is Lyn. What's yours?"

"Tuck…er…" He wheezed out before falling unconscious.

"Tuck Er?" Lyn let the name roll of her tongue. "A very strange name indeed…wait, Tuck…er…Tucker! I see now. I better bring him back with me."

She hoisted him up with ease- he was very small and light- and quickly carried him back to her hut. She placed him on her bed and started to assess his condition.

_No broken bones, no stab wounds…he's looks like a skeleton as though he hadn't eaten in months. That can be fixed though. I better clean his wounds before they get worse._ Lyn dipped a cloth into a bowl of water with herbs and began scrubbing it across his cuts and wounds, cleaning away the blood and dirt. Even though he was unconscious, he still grimaced from the pain. Lyn sighed and gently fed him a vulnerary. The medicine healed up most of the cuts, but the head injury continued to bleed. Other than that, the pain seemed to fade away, for the boy's expression quickly relaxed. Lyn smiled with relief as she carefully wrapped a bandage tight around his head.

_His clothes are dirty and torn. I can take care of that…I hope he doesn't mind. _Slowly, Lyn removed the tunic and pants, trying not to look at anything. Luckily, he was wearing extra garments underneath his clothes, but something seemed odd. With somewhat of a shock, Lyn realized they were _women's_ undergarments and that "he" was actually a "she."

_I was sure greatly mistaken. But he…er, she lacks some of the "certain features." _Lyn shook her head and gathered up Tucker's clothing. She whispered a prayer for the girl's health before going out to clean her garments.

* * *

The next day, Lyn woke up with her mind groggy and her body exhausted from yesterday's battle. She contemplated going back to sleep when she remembered the victim that she rescued. Dressing quickly, Lyn sprinted into the other half of her hut to see Tucker sitting up in bed, examining her surroundings.

"Good, you're awake." Lyn said. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Tucker smiled. "Lyn, was it? Thank you for rescuing me. Uh…my clothes…"

"Oh, they're right here. I hope you don't mind, but I had to clean them."

"Um…thanks." Tucker awkwardly accepted her garments and quickly pulled them on before getting out of the bed. "Where am I exactly?"

"This is Sacae." Lyn responded. "I could tell by your clothes that you're a traveller."

Tucker shrugged. "You could say that. I'm not exactly from here. I was just wandering around lost until those bandits jumped me…ow…"

Lyn retrieved another bandage to replace the one Tucker had bled through.

"Sounds like you had a rough journey." She said with sympathy.

"It was. My parents left Elibe to go back to our home continent, but I got left behind." Tucker sighed and pulled out a crest attached to a chain around her neck. Lyn squinted at the emblem in the crest.

_That's the symbol of a tactician! _Lyn looked shocked. _But she's so young. She must be a prodigy! I could probably learn something from her._

"Hey, Lyn? Is something the matter?" Tucker inquired when she noticed how the Sacaen was spacing out.

"Huh? Oh! Nothing's wrong." Lyn chuckled nervously, but then took on a more serious tone. "Say, Tucker, you seem to be experienced in the ways of war. And…even though you don't know where you're travelling to, do you mind if I tag along?"

"What?!" Tucker exclaimed. "Why?" _Why would she think that I study war? Oh, my grandfather's crest…_

"I need to become stronger!" Lyn claimed. "I was almost killed yesterday fighting those bandits, and that made me realize that I'm not going to get anywhere at this rate."

"But I…I'm not a…" Tucker paused when she saw the crestfallen look on Lyn's face. "Ah please don't look at me that way…I mean, we'd look pretty odd travelling together, don't you think? And besides, what would your parents think about travelling with a stranger?"

Lyn gaped. "M-My parents? I…I don't have…"

Tucker looked at her in confusion, but when she noticed the intense sorrow on the Sacaen's face she knew she said something she shouldn't have.

"Ah! D-Don't cry…I-I'm sorry." Tucker stammered.

Lyn shook her head and stared at the ground. "My tribe is…no more. Six months ago bandits poisoned our water supply. Everyone, except for a few others and I, drank from it. The effect was immediate and everybody started getting weaker and weaker. That's when the bandits…attacked. They decimated everyone: the elderly, the teens, even the children. My mother was among them. My father was barely getting me out of there when the axes…overtook…I'm sorry."

Lyn buried her face in her hands and sat there trembling. It had been six months, which she had used to grieve and try to move on. However, the emotional pain was still fresh, like a half-healed scar had just opened. She couldn't cry though; it would shame her dignity and create an awkward aura for her newfound friend. Lyn struggled to get her composure together, but felt herself failing. At least until Tucker laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay." She spoke. "Continue when you're ready, or you don't have to."

Lyn let out a heavy sigh. She looked up from her hands and tried her best to finish. "I…as the chieftain's daughter I thought it would be my duty to lead our people. But I was so young, and no one would follow me because I'm a woman. I was alone…"

Tucker just sat there and watched Lyn with sympathy in her eyes. The poor girl looked like she was about to cry, but she was still fighting her emotions. Finally the so-called tactician scooted closer and took Lyn's hand into her own. Lyn accepted the simple gesture of comfort and squeezed it. For a long time, both girls remained like that in silence, save for Lyn's hitched breathing.

"You can let it out if you want." Tucker broke the silence, unsure of what else to say. "I'll understand if you do."

Lyn smiled, but shook her head. "Thanks, Tucker, but I've already grieved about this. I'm done crying. Tucker, this is why I asked. I…must become stronger if I'm ever going to avenge my tribe. If I remain here alone any longer, I will never reach that goal. Take me with you, train me in the ways of war. That's all I ask. Please!"

Tucker was stunned to say the least. At that moment, she definitely wanted to help this girl out…even if it meant _lying_ to her.

"Of course. Lyn…I would be honored to have you travel with me."

"Oh thank you!" Lyn embraced Tucker, much to the brunette's surprise. "I won't let you down, Tucker. We'll be the best travelling duo in all of Sacae: you, my master strategist and I, your peerless warrior. Together we can overcome anything!"

Tucker smiled at the fierce determination in Lyn's eyes. "I'll do my best. Before we go, we should restock on our supplies. You know the land better than I do, so where should we start out?"

"Tomorrow we'll set out for Bulgar. That's the largest capital in all of Sacae. We'll be able to get enough essentials from there."

"Good. And so begins our journey…"


	2. Fate Has Different Plans

**A/N: Decided to upload the prologue and chapter 1 in one day because this is where the rising action starts. By the way, I'd like a beta reader (because I'm a perfectionist) so if you're interested, PM me.  
**

* * *

"Let's go, Sain! You're slacking!"

"But Kent, why must we be in such a hurry? You were yelling at me before dawn to get my butt out of bed. I'd say we're making good progress."

"Need I remind you that Lord Hausen is counting on us to bring back his one and only grandchild?"

"I know, I know. But we can't just stop and rest for a bit?"

Kent, the Caelin knight with red armor, groaned and palmed his face. "You whine so much. Why are you even a knight? No never mind; I don't want to know. I can't believe I'm saying this but you leave me no choice. We're searching for his granddaughter."

Sain, the Caelin knight with green armor, instantly perked his head up. "Did you say: grand**-**DAUGHTER?"

"Yes, Sain. We're looking for his grand_daughter_."

This replenished Sain's energy as well as his motivation. "Well, what are we waiting for? We must find this damsel and return her safe and sound to Caelin. I can see it now: Marquess Hausen praising me for my heroic deeds, and wedding his granddaughter off to me as a reward…" Sain stared into space with a dreamy look on his face.

"SAIN!" Kent waved his hand in front of his companion's face. "Wake up!"

Sain jerked his head up in surprise before snapping the reins on his horse to urge it faster. "Come, Kent! You're slacking! We can't leave Lord Hausen's granddaughter waiting any longer!"

Kent sighed. "St. Elimine, this is going to be one long journey."

* * *

"This…is Bulgar?" Tucker asked in awe.

The city was huge, for Sacae at least. There were multiple people walking this way and that, merchants trying to sell their goods to bystanders and children running through the streets chasing after their friends and pets. It truly was a sight to see.

"Tucker, over here!" Lyn called out, waving her hand. "You seem surprised. What were you expecting?"

"Nothing too much exactly." Tucker admitted. "I thought Sacae was known for its tribes."

Lyn chuckled. "Not exactly. These people used to come from tribes, but they seemed to find the city life more enjoyable. I guess you could say they became more, um, urbanized. Hey, Tuck? Can I just call you that?"

Tucker nodded. "Yes and yes?"

"Why are you wearing your hood? Your injury isn't THAT bad and your bandage and bangs are covering up most of it anyways."

"Oh, it's not because of my injury." Tucker scratched the back of her head. "I just… don't feel comfortable showing my face around here."

"Did you do something… illegal?"

"NO! It's just…I really don't want to be kidnapped again. "

"Ah." Lyn smiled sympathetically at the teen. "Don't worry, you should be fine. After all, I'm with you this time, right?"

Tucker nodded and began to look around at all of the different shops.

"Oh look!" Lyn pointed to a building with a shield-shaped sign on it. "There's an armory over there and a vendor next to it. I can repair my sword and then I should have enough gold to get some vulneraries for…"

"Oh my! Such an astounding figure of wondrous beauty!"

"Huh?" Lyn turned around. "Was that meant for me?"

"I didn't see anyone." Tucker shook her head.

"Maybe we should go this way." Lyn started to walk off, but suddenly a knight in green came trotting up on his horse.

"Wait a moment, gorgeous!" he said. "Would you be so kind as to enlighten me with your name?"

"…What?" Lyn, as confused as she was, still couldn't prevent a light shade of red from appearing on her cheeks. Tucker faked a cough to stifle her laughter. "Pardon me, but, who are you to be talking so freely to a stranger?"

_I knew it. She's so into me, she's dying to find out who I am. Sain, you're quite the ladies' man._ Sain thought, smiling. "I am Sir Sain of Castle Caelin, home to knights of passion and fire!"

Lyn was unimpressed with this arrogant fellow. She crossed her arms and retorted, "You mean, 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues?'"

_Burn. _Tucker thought.

_So she wants to play hard to get, eh? This will be fun._ Sain smirked. "Oh, you're even more cuter when you're angry."

Tucker glanced at Lyn and noticed her shoulders tensing. It was quite obvious Lyn desperately wanted to run her iron sword right through the man's…

"Enough!" Lyn shouted, grabbing Tucker's wrist. "Come on, Tuck. We have more important things to do than chattering with this moron."

As both girls walked off, Tucker turned around to find Sain glaring at her with a look that said, "_don't think you've won!"_

Tucker gave him a questioning look before turning around to accompany Lyn to the armory.

Sain sighed and patted his horse. "She preferred that guy over me? Nonsense! What does he have that I don't?"

"Sain, you dolt!" Sain looked up and saw Kent riding up to him with a fierce expression on his face.

"Ah, Kent! My boon companion, why do you look so severe?"

"If you could be more serious about this then I wouldn't have to be so severe! Why are you flirting with women at a time like this? Have you forgotten your mission?"

"No! It's just… that woman was so beautiful and charming that it would be immoral for me to miss out on an opportunity like this!"

Kent smacked his forehead. "Morals? What morals?! You say the same thing about every woman you meet! You are a knight of Lycia. Act like one!"

"Excuse me!" called Lyn. "You're blocking the road. If you could move your horses to the side a bit…"

"Watch and learn, Sain." muttered Kent as he bowed to Lyn and her companion. "Of course, my apologies."

"Thank you." Lyn walked passed them. "Unlike your friend, you seem more admirable."

_This girl…something about her seems…recognizable? _Kent thought. "You look familiar. Have we met?"

"Hm?" Lyn tilted her head. "I don't think so. I don't remember seeing you before."

"Is that so? I was certain I might have seen you one time or another."

"What?" Sain blurted out. "No fair! I saw her first!"

Lyn growled. "Ugh! It appears there are no knights in Lycia with some sort of decency! Let's go, Tucker. These men are getting on my nerves."

"Right." Tucker nodded as Lyn began to storm off. The brown-haired teen turned around and found Sain glaring at her again.

_Why is he looking at me that way? Does he think I'm Lyn's…oh. That explains it… _Tucker pulled her hood lower over her head and followed Lyn out of the city gates.

When they were out of eyesight, Kent snapped around to scold Sain.

"Sain, you're such an idiot!" he shouted, earning some odd looks from some pedestrians.

"Forgive me!" Sain squeaked, flinching at the sound of his partner's tone. "I thought you two were…"

"I am NOT you! Ugh, we better follow them. I have a feeling that she could be our mission."

"No way! This day just keeps getting better and better!" Sain fist pumped the air at the thought of pursuing Lyn again. Kent on the other hand was not amused.

"I've heard enough of your babble! You are not to speak until I tell you to."

"But…"

"No buts! Let's move."

* * *

"Get back here!"

Tucker groaned and quickened her pace. Thundering footsteps were getting louder as they drew near and both Lyn and Tucker broke into a panicked sprint.

"Who's chasing us?" Tucker exclaimed, panting. "Is it those knights?"

Lyn stole a glance behind her. "No! These men are out for blood. Whoa!"

Lyn and Tucker skidded to a stop as a giant man stepped in front of them.

"Well hey there, babe. Hehehe." The man grinned a toothless smile. "Your name is Lyndis right?"

Lyn's jaw dropped at the sound of her name. _No one's called me that in a long time. Who is this guy? _Lyn gulped.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" The man snickered. "Such a shame that a beautiful woman like you has to die. I could care less about the lad next to you."

"Hey!" Tucker shouted. "I'm not…"

"Oh well. Missions like these keep food in my pantry. Come out boys!"

Suddenly, hoards of ruffians started to emerge out of forts and woods on all sides. Tucker backed up behind Lyn, who began to unsheathe her sword.

"All right." The man turned towards Lyn and Tucker, brandishing his axe. "The name's Zugu by the way. Now let's get this over with."

"What should we do?" Tucker whispered.

"Why are you asking me?" Lyn responded. "You're the tactician."

"Oh, uh right." The "tactician" looked around and began to assess the situation. It _seemed_ like the correct thing to do. "There's too many for you to handle. Some are hiding out in the woods. Blast, this is not looking good."

"But we've just started our journey!" Lyn exclaimed. "We can't give up now."

"I know. If only we had some help or something."

"Hey! Hold up!" Tucker, Lyn, and even the bandits stopped and looked around for the voice that rang out. That was when Lyn noticed Sain and Kent riding on their horses towards them. Sain placed himself between the Sacaen and Zugu.

"Ah! You guys walk fast." Sain winked at Lyn and then turned to the bandits. "How could you? All of you against this woman and her companion? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Zugu just gave him a blank stare.

"Sain! I told you to be quiet!" Kent followed.

"You again?" Lyn exclaimed. "What are-just who are you?"

"We'll talk about that another time." Kent unsheathed his sword. "Right now, these bandits are our only problem. If they want to fight then they'll answer to me and my sword."

"Stand back and let the master handle this!" Sain trotted in front of Kent.

Lyn ran in front of them.

"No! This fight is mine!" she argued.

Sain shifted in his saddle. "Well I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing."

"It's clear that neither of us can decide who's going to do what." Kent attempted to break up the argument. "I got it. We'll let him handle the decision."

"That's a great idea." Lyn agreed.

"Who's him?" Tucker responded, looking around.

"I think he's talking about you, Tuck." Lyn smiled at Kent's confusion.

"Me? I'm a she…"

"Ah f-forgive me." Kent stuttered.

"You're a girl?!" Sain exclaimed and squinted his eyes. "Ah yes I see it now. You know, the way your boyish appearance clashes with your femininity really makes you look striking. I like it."

"Sain! Not now!" Kent butted in. "So Tuck is it?"

"Tucker actually, but Tuck's fine." Responded the teen.

"Right. My name is Kent; I see you've met my partner Sain. We'll fight the best we can for you. Is that alright with you, milady?"

"I see no problem." Lyn replied. "Tucker, you and I will lead. Let's do this!"

_But I'm not even a tactician…_ Tucker sighed as the three ran off to get into their respective positions.

* * *

Lyn, flanked by Kent and Sain, got into a battle formation as the bandits started piling in, ready to attack. Tucker stood behind Lyn and started to assess the situation.

"With Kent and Sain around, maybe we can turn the fight into our favor." Tucker murmured. _Well, I guess it's time to figure out how to do this strategy thing._ "Uh, a bandit is hiding behind those trees. He'll be easy to take out. Kent, I think you should…"

"Wait!" Sain interrupted the order. "Tuck, my lovely tactician, please allow me to strike first. I won't let you down!"

Tucker groaned. "Okay, Sain, make my day. He's all yours."

Sain nodded and brought his horse up on its back legs. "All right cravens! Fear the wrath of my lance!"

Kent blinked. _Did he say, "lance?" But these men have axes._ "Sain, wait!"

Alas, it was too late for Sain had already ridden off and began to engage the bandit into a skirmish. Sain thrust his lance with all his might, but his calculations were off and he struck plain air. The bandit laughed and retaliated, cracking Sain's shoulder armor. Blood started to seep through, but that wasn't what was bothering the knight.

"I…missed?" Sain stared in disbelief.

"Sain, why didn't you use your sword?" Kent scolded.

"Well, I thought I would look more heroic with my lance."

Kent sighed. "It's a wonder you haven't died yet. Keep this up and I'm afraid you will."

"And well, I kind of forgot to buy one." Sain played with his hands guiltily.

"You had all that time in Bulgar and you didn't even buy a sword?"

"I'm better with a lance anyways! I can do without a sword."

"I'd rather not take the risk. Here, I have a spare. Use it."

"Ah thanks Kent! I won't let you down!"

Kent groaned. "You're almost more trouble than you're worth. Almost."

Off to the side, he caught a glimpse of Lyn rolling her eyes and Tucker looking quite amused.

"I apologize for my partner's incompetence." Kent muttered. "Allow me to make up for it."

A quick nod from Tucker granted his permission. Readying his sword, Kent kicked the sides of his horse with his spurs and charged toward the bandit. His sword collided into the bandit's hip, causing him to scream out in pain. With a clumsy swing, he tried to strike Kent with his axe, but Kent backed his horse out of the way as the axe sliced the atmosphere. One more blow would have done it and everyone was expecting Tucker to issue that command, however the brunette was slowly beginning to nod off. Sain looked at her questioningly before throwing a small pebble at her, snapping her out of her trance.

"Uh, Lyn, finish him!" Tucker quickly commanded. She started to flush with embarrassment; she was still getting used to the idea of taking charge.

Lyn, pretending to not notice Tucker's forgetfulness, nodded and sprinted towards the bandit. She slashed him across his back, spraying blood onto the ground. The bandit nearly doubled over, but decided to give one last shot to complete his mission. He aimed for Lyn's neck, but she ducked down just in time and stuck her sword through his stomach. The man clutched his abdomen and fell to the ground, breathing no more.

"One down." Tucker announced. "Good job, Lyn and Kent!"

Sain scowled. _I won't look like a fool again. Not in front of the ladies. _Through his peripheral vision, he could see a bandit sneaking into some woods.

"Now's my chance." He said aloud. "Tucker, let me redeem myself! Let me show you my skill!"

Tucker sighed. "Okay, Sain. There's a bandit that went into those woods. Take him out."

Sain flashed her a grin. "With pleasure."

He pursued the bandit until he finally found him hiding behind some trees.

"I got you now!" Sain bellowed as he swung his sword at his foe. Instead of impaling the bandit's head, he impaled a tree.

_Uh oh, this isn't good. _Sain struggled, trying to wrench his sword out of the trunk. He was totally oblivious to the bandit charging towards him.

"SAIN!" shouted Lyn, Tucker, and Kent. "Behind you!"

"Aarrgh!" Sain grunted. Finally, he twisted his sword out of the tree and maneuvered his horse just as the bandit brought down his axe.

"Sain!" Kent called. "Are you all right?"

Sain sighed and wiped away the perspiration from his brow. "Yeah, I was able to evade his attack. But I don't understand why I wasn't able to hit him!"

"Look, he's in the woods, so not only is he camouflaged, but there are many trees in your way."

"Ah that explains it." Sain let out a embarrassed chuckle. "I guess I was too caught up in the moment."

"You're going to get yourself killed if you keep on daydreaming!"

"Okay I get it! Geez, this isn't the first time you told me."

"Well start doing what I tell you to do! This is no game."

Kent angrily snapped the reigns on his horse while Sain grumbled to himself.

"Such a worrywart." He said. "I can practically see the gray hairs sprouting from his roots."

"Sain, are you okay?" Tucker whispered, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry. Some of that was on my part as well. You were clearly at a disadvantage and I didn't see that."

"Hey don't worry about it." Sain smirked. _She's cute when she's apologetic._

"Tucker, I'll get the bandit that Sain missed." Kent called out, interrupting their conversation, much to Sain's dismay.

"We'll talk later." Tucker replied as she ran off. "Kent, take care of the brigand."

Kent already knew the drill and rode his horse into another set of woods.

"It looks like they can handle that bandit," Lyn spoke as she approached the tactician. "So we'll leave them to it."

"Right." Tucker agreed. "Lyn, I want you to close the distance between you and that bandit over there. Kent said that woods are an advantage so hide in that patch for a while."

"Got it." Lyn responded and began to sneak into the woods.

_So far so good. This is almost too easy. I just have to remind myself that I'm not a spectator. _Tucker exhaled deeply and ran a hand through her brown hair that was darkening from sweat. A cry of pain came from the woods, indicating that Kent was almost done with the bandit that nearly killed Sain. In the distance, Lyn's voice rang out across the field.

"Hey, knight in green!" she called, getting Sain's attention. "Um, Sain? You do realize you're still bleeding, right?"

"What?" Sain touched his cracked armor and examined his bloody fingers. "I've been injured? Ah, I'm such a cad! To make a pretty lady like you worry for me…"

"Riiiight." Lyn scratched her head. "Never mind, you look okay, your physical state that is. Guess you don't need this vulnerary."

_She was going to give that to me?_ Sain's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait! I need it! I need it!" Sain kicked his horse into a gallop to catch up to Lyn.

"Lyn, just give him the vulnerary!" Tucker shouted. _If it'll get him to shut up._

Lyn grumbled incoherently under her breath and handed over a one-third empty vulnerary to Sain, who took it like it was as delicate as an expensive piece of glass.

"Ah much better." He said after taking a swig from the bottle. "Thanks milady."

Lyn groaned as he rode off.

Tucker couldn't prevent an amused smile from forming on her lips. _This has been an interesting battle. Okay back to the situation at hand. Hm, not many bandits left. The one Kent's been dealing with is a goner. Guess we can start annihilating._

"Okay everyone!" Tucker belted out. "We're almost there! Meet the remaining bandits halfway and finish them off."

It seemed Lyn had been waiting for this all day. She eagerly ran to encounter the bandit that was approaching her and withdrew her sword. She got the first hit on him, sidestepped out of the way as he attempted to bring down his axe, and with the quickest speed possible, ran her sword through his throat. Kent nodded, emerged from the woods, and finally put the dying bandit out of his misery. Sain traveled to the south bridge to where Kent was and waited for the bandit on the other side to come closer. When the brigand crossed the bridge, Kent took the initiative and challenged him. He was able to slash a deep cut into the bandit's arm, but unfortunately wasn't able to dodge the next attack.

"Blast!" Kent cursed as he felt the sharp edge of the axe collide with his leg. If the axe wasn't in such bad shape, he could have lost that leg then and there.

"Kent, move!" Sain called out. "Sain to the rescue!"

Kent was barely able to guide his horse out of the way as Sain's horse came barreling towards his adversary. With a swing of his arm and a snap of his wrist, he severed the bandit's jugular vein.

"Who would've thought that I would be coming to _your_ rescue, Kent." Sain smirked as he tossed a vulnerary to his red-haired companion.

"Shut up, Sain." Kent downed the last of the vulnerary and pocketed the bottle away. "I could have handled another attack. Nevertheless I…thank you for your 'heroic' efforts."

Sain beamed. "If only I could replay that every time you call me a lout."

"You're daydreaming, Sain! Let's go!"

"There goes that moment. Oh well, I'll never let him live this down." Sain gave off a smug grin as he followed Kent across the bridge. Lyn was already on the other side with Tucker.

"Good work, team!" Tucker exclaimed. "Now let's get that boss."

"Aye! Right away!" Sain shouted in response and galloped off to begin his attack. Lyn and Kent sighed at his recklessness.

"Don't get me wrong," Kent muttered. "Sain is a very skilled knight, if he can just get his head out of the clouds…"

"He must be quite entertaining to bring around too." Lyn added, watching as Zugu glared at his opponent.

"Ugh, this is why I despise knights." Zugu growled. "Must you always stick your noses into every little affair?"

"You were about to kill two innocent girls." Sain retorted. "That doesn't sound so 'little' to me."

"Come at me!"

As the three let Sain have his moment, an idea quickly sparked in Tucker's mind.

"Lyn," She whispered. "Once Zugu completes his first attack, go in for the kill. He shouldn't see it coming."

Lyn grinned. "Good idea."

All eyes were on Sain and Zugu as they clashed weapons. Sain's sword and Zugu's axe pressed against each other, and their skirmish soon became a battle of strength. Zugu was pressing his axe so hard on Sain's blade, that his muscles started throbbing. Sain clenched his teeth shut, feeling the texture of the handle blister his hands. This man was strong, maybe too strong for him. Sain glanced at his companions, expecting to see disappointed looks on their faces, but when he saw the anxious looks in their eyes, something inside him snapped, like his whole entire confidence was reinvigorated. With this newfound motivation, he started to get the upper hand. Swiftly, he forced the axe off of his sword and stabbed Zugu in the stomach. Zugu recoiled in pain, knowing all too well that there was no way to fight three people at once. He needed a new plan and fast. For the last thirty minutes, he started to notice how important the tactician was to their group. If he could kill him, or her, then their entire team would be in the dark and he would be able to escape! Zugu allowed a pained smile at the thought and heaved his axe upward to knock Sain off his saddle.

"Ah!" Sain shouted. His wrist was implanted into a hole as he fell and the sudden force nearly snapped it in half. Luckily, it was only sprained, but there would be no way he could use his sword. Unfortunately, this entire event distracted Lyn from the plan and when she realized that she was late for the opportunity, clumsily sprinted towards Zugu, who had long since readied himself for another attack. This girl was too fast to avoid though and Zugu felt the sword puncture his thigh. Seething, he raised his axe as high as he could and swung it downwards. His momentum, combined with gravity's effect on the axe's weight, critically sliced open Lyn's shoulder. She could not prevent a pained yell from emerging from her throat. Blinking back tears, she pushed aside the unbearable sting from her shoulder and thrust her sword into Zugu's chest, fatally wounding him.

"No…there was…supposed to be…one girl…" Zugu choked out before giving up his final breath.

"That's all of them." Kent panted as he slowly slid off his horse. The vulnerary partially healed his wound, but there were still traces of blood coming from the scar. Sain pulled himself off the ground and cradled his right arm. It ached, throbbed, and started to swell with a big purple bruise. He gritted his teeth and took unsteady deep breaths as he tried to keep the pain from occupying his mind. He looked at Lyn, who was kneeling on the ground with a foreign expression on her face. He noticed the blood flowing from her shoulder in large amounts, but seeing her bare shoulder from her torn clothing made him feel oddly warm and he momentarily forgot about his sprained wrist; at least until he felt Kent wrap a cloth around it tightly. Tucker felt numb as she looked at the aftermath. It could have been worse, but she felt bad that these injuries couldn't be avoided. She approached Lyn as the Sacaen brought a vulnerary up to her lips. The shoulder wound reduced in size, but it still had a bit of blood seeping through.

"Oh Lyn." Tucker frowned.

"Don't worry, Tuck." Lyn gave a reassuring smile. "It'll stop bleeding eventually. Besides, right now we have other matters to attend to. Like those Lycian knights…"

Tucker helped Lyn up from the ground and approached Kent and Sain. The two knights stood in attention and brought fists up to their chests as a salute.

"So," Lyn began, confused at the gesture. "We have quite a few things to discuss. Let's start with why you came here."

Kent nodded. "We came from Lycia to search for someone."

"Lycia is just pass those mountains correct?"

"Correct. We came here to deliver a message to Lady Madelyn, whom had married a nomad at least nineteen years ago."

"Madelyn?" Lyn's eyes started to water at the remembrance of her mother's name, but the moisture went away as she told herself to be strong. It could have been a different Madelyn after all.

"Aye." Kent noticed the sorrowful look in Lyn's eyes, but continued. "She is Lord Hausen's only daughter. It saddened him so much when she abandoned him; eventually he disowned her."

"This year," Sain cut in, "We got a letter from her, explaining that she, her husband, and daughter were living happy lives here on the plains. Marquess Hausen was overjoyed when he heard he had a granddaughter. You should've seen the look on his face when he found out he was a grandfather! Anyways, the granddaughter's name is Lyndis, the same name as Madelyn's mother, whom died fairly young."

"Lyndis…" Lyn let her own name roll across her tongue.

"Now Lord Hausen had requested that we bring his daughter's family back to Caelin so he could meet them. However, we didn't know that Lady Madelyn had died a few days afterwards... we only just found out when we reached Bulgar."

"But," Kent went on. "We hear that his granddaughter is still alive and well, living on the plains. This is why I asked if we met before. I can see it: you are Lyndis, the granddaughter of Marquess Caelin."

Lyn was too shocked to believe this._ Me, the granddaughter of a noble? Why didn't my mother tell me…no, this can't be. I'm not of noble blood._

"Why, what makes you believe that?" Lyn stammered.

"Your resemblance, you almost look exactly like your mother." Kent answered.

"You knew my mother?"

"Indirectly. There are portraits of her in the castle."

Lyn looked at the ground. She whispered, "To everyone else, I was always Lyn. But to my parents, I was Lyndis. I thought I was the only one left in my family, but now I actually have a grandfather."

Lyn started to choke up, completely overwhelmed by the news. Tucker laid a hand on the Sacaen's now healed shoulder and felt her tremble from the shock. Lyn sighed and raised her head up, her eyes sparkling with emotion.

"I haven't been called Lyndis in so long." Her tone was sullen and both Kent and Sain felt sorry for her, considering all she's been through. "But wait a minute!" She suddenly raised her voice as realization hit. "That bandit called me Lyndis too!"

"How would he know…" Kent began until Sain spoke up.

"I'm willing to bet he was working for Lord Lundgren." He scowled as he uttered the name.

"Who's Lundgren?" Lyn raised an eyebrow.

"Marquess Hausen's younger brother. In this case, your granduncle." Kent responded. "When everyone thought Madelyn was gone from the world, then Lord Lundgren would be the next legitimate heir to marquess's title."

"I'm just going to be real frank here." Sain lowered his voice. "The only thing that stands in the way between him and becoming the next marquess is the very fact that you're still alive."

"But why?" Lyn blurted out. "Why would he go after me? I have no intentions of becoming a marchioness!"

"That's what he doesn't believe. I'm afraid he'll continue to make attempts on your life until he succeeds."

Lyn casted her eyes downward again, trying to process all the sudden events. "What should I do?" she mumbled.

"Come with us." Kent spoke, getting her attention. "It will be safer than to

keep travelling on this road."

"I don't have any other option now, do I?" Kent and Sain shook their heads sympathetically, seeing how these occurrences were already stressing her out. Lyn let out a sigh of obvious distress and turned to face Tucker.

"Can you give us a minute?" She asked the knights.

"Of course." Kent bowed his head. "Let us know what you decide."

"Thank you." Lyn led Tucker to an open place in the valley where they wouldn't be heard. For a long time, neither of the girls spoke; Tucker was unsure of what to say while Lyn was too nervous to ask.

"Long day isn't it?" Tucker attempted a light-hearted conversation, despite everything that had and will happen.

"Tuck, I'm sorry." Lyn whispered. "This isn't what we were planning on at all. I'll leave the decision up to you."

Tucker pondered this for a minute. _I should just leave. We would encounter more battles, but I'm still inexperienced. It would get us all killed._

"Lyn," Tucker started. "I…I think it's best that we part ways now."

Lyn gasped in shock, disbelieving what Tucker had just said, but then slowly nodded. "I see. I mean, I would like to have a friend like you travel with me, but I don't think I could bring myself to place some sort of potential danger."

Tucker exhaled deeply and responded in a weak voice, "I'm sorry, Lyn."

"It's okay. Well, Tucker, I wish you the best of luck to wherever you're going."

"Aye, likewise. Give your grandfather my regards."

The two shook hands and Tucker sadly watched the back of Lyn shrinking away as she walked off.

* * *

_"Argh! I won't let you win!" Lyn seethed as she slashed at a bandit with her sword. The bandit just laughed and quickly swiped his axe across Lyn's leg. The wound instantly began to bleed in large amounts and insects quickly gathered around it. Lyn screeched and fell to the ground, as twenty other bandits came to bind and gag her._

_ "Stop!" came a voice. At that moment, Sain came riding up, sword in hand and ready to kill. He successfully finished off four bandits, injured five more, but more kept coming. Soon, there were too many to handle and Sain too was captured. The only one left standing was Kent, who gave his helpless friends a look of impracticality. The bandits cackled at him, taunted him, dared him to make a move if he wanted Sain and Lyn to get the axe. Suddenly, an enemy archer from a distance shot an arrow into Kent's knee, causing him to collapse to the ground. The bandits overwhelmed him with rope and he was thrown alongside Sain and Lyn. The ringleader of the bandits came up to him with a sinister grin on his face. He took out a scroll and began to read._

_ "By order of Lord Lundgren, the new Marquess of Lycia, I hereby sentence you three to burn for treason against the Lycian government."_

_ Lyn broke out of the choker in her mouth and spluttered, "How…how could this happen?"_

_ Kent coughed. "We were so outmatched and disorganized. We had no formation…no tactics."_

_ "Where's Tucker?" Sain asked, spitting out some drops of blood. "She was supposed to guide us."_

_ "She didn't come with us, remember? We separated when we left Bulgar."_

_ "But why? We needed her!"_

_ The three fell silent as they caught sight of a man with a torch in hand. He threw it on the piles of hay and wood that was stacked under the hostages' feet. All that could be heard in the land were the jeers of the enemies and the pained shrieks of the victims as the flames engulfed them._

Tucker immediately bolted upright from her sleeping position. Her chest heaved up and down with heavy breaths as beads of sweat began to drip down her face and back. Once she composed herself, she was able to identify her setting. It was nighttime, and she was lying in the fields that was previously a minor battlefield.

"It was just a dream." Tucker sighed with relief. A recollection of the events that had transpired that day came back to her, and she quickly jumped up and gathered her belongings.

"It was cowardly of me to abandon Lyn like that, after all she's done for me." Tucker scolded herself. "They'll need someone to lead them to Lycia, and I am the only one capable of filling that role. Tactician or not, I will see to it that they reach their goal with great success and no casualties!"

With that, Tucker grabbed a burning log from the fire to use as a torch before extinguishing it and running into the woods. Unfortunately, before she could even take five steps, a strong arm encircled her waist and a hand was concealed over her mouth. She was knocked unconscious before she could even scream out or fight back.

* * *

"So what are you willing to bet that she's totally into me?" Sain idly poked at his bandaged wrist as he and Kent took seats next to their campfire.

"Not a chance." Kent replied, bluntly. "I don't see why any woman, especially like her, would be even interested in dating you."

"What? Have you not seen the way she looked at me at the knighthood ceremony? The moment I put on that armor, she stared at me in awe. That's definitely a sign she liked me."

"I was staring in awe too…at the fact that you passed the tests."

"You question my abilities as a knight?"

"Not your abilities. Your demeanor."

"Kent, if it weren't for my sprained wrist and my blistered hands, I would have smacked you right across the face."

Kent scoffed in response, ending the conversation. Normally he and Sain would get along, but when he was stressed out and Sain was being incredibly annoying then the two would start to bicker. He hated to admit it, but he would be extremely hurt if something bad were to happen to Sain. Nevertheless playing the fatherly role in the friendship proved to be a consequence of befriending Sain: always cleaning up after him and chastising him for his manners. It seemed Sain only cared about how impressive he was to the ladies rather than knightly ethics. Kent sighed and examined the scar on his leg. His mind began to drift from the mission, to the journey ahead, and then to Lyn. _The way she swung her sword with such swiftness and elegance was absolutely breathtaking, and her calmness during the battle sure gave a hint on what her personality is like. I have never seen any woman as beautiful as her…wait, what am I thinking?! I just met her; I CANNOT be thinking that way. I'm a knight, she's a noble. For us to, as Sain would say, "hook-up"…no there's no way it could happen. _To Kent's unawareness, Sain was giving him an odd stare at the way his partner's expression quickly changed from neutral, to dreamy, and then to Kent looked up (and Sain quickly glanced away), he noticed Lyn sitting a short distance away from the camp with her back turned and her shoulders slumped. Not bothering to consider things, he rose from his spot and approached her, careful not to startle her. She didn't so much as acknowledge his presence as he knelt down beside her, but he didn't let that faze him.

"Something is troubling, milady." He stated. "Forgive my impudence, but would you mind telling me what is on your mind?"

Lyn took in a deep breath of air and slowly let it out. "I'm still appalled that Tucker didn't want to come with us. I understand why, but do you think it's selfish of me that I'd much rather her accompany us to Caelin?"

"Of course not." Sain, who now joined up with them, spoke up. "We all wanted her to come. Kent and I are fresh out of our apprentice years, so we don't know much about battles and such. Besides, Tucker is just a defenseless tactician. Who knows what could happen to her with Lundgren's henchmen running about."

"_Sain_." Kent chided him.

"Ah, my apologies. I don't wish to place unnecessary worry on a beautiful woman such as yourself."

Lyn rolled her eyes and continued to stare off into space. The distress in her was evident and at that moment Kent very much wanted to ease her anxiety a bit. He gulped nervously and placed a shaky hand on her shoulder, trying to make it as amicable as possible. Words can not describe the amount of relief that washed over him when she reached up to clasp his hand in response. Sain watched the two with jealously and decided to mimic Kent. To his chagrin, she didn't hold his hand like she did with Kent, but at least she didn't brush him off as other women had done.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Kent said after a while. "She's a tactician, albeit a... "strange" one. She should be able to navigate on her own."

Lyn shook her head. "She's not even from Elibe."

This shocked both knights somewhat, but Lyn didn't notice. Kent cleared his throat and rephrased his statement, "Well then, all we must do is pray and hope for the best. But for right now, we must get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Lyn seemed reluctant to leave, but nevertheless gave in to Kent's suggestion and allowed him and Sain to hoist her back on her feet. She glanced up at the sky one more time before following the two men back to the camp.

* * *

**A/N: So Tucker goes MIA and Lyn's group finds themselves without a tactician (actually, they didn't even have one to begin with). This can only bode well. Let me know what you think! **


	3. Lyn's Destiny

**A/N: Darn, not as long as my last chapter :/ Oh well. Enjoy!**

* * *

The next day, Lyn with her two knights started up their journey to Lycia again. Lyn felt a little nervous about travelling with two men whom she had only gotten to know yesterday, and the fact that if they were to get into a skirmish, then there would be no tactician to guide them. In fact, she hadn't heard any news on Tucker's whereabouts since they separated. It was for these reasons that Lyn requested that they stop at a sanctuary. She explained that it was customary for travellers to stop there and pray for safe travels. Kent and Sain didn't seem to mind making a small pit stop, but Lyn wanted to make sure.

"It IS okay if we stop at this temple right?" she asked.

"Of course." Kent answered. "It's great to see that old religious practices are here too."

"We'll have to wait a bit before we can enter though. I already saw someone go inside." Lyn indicated to an individual power-walking behind the walls of the sanctuary.

_That person looked a little suspicious. Not to mention they were dressed as a rogue._ Kent couldn't help but wonder as he stared at the individual entering the temple. He had absolutely no idea what his or her intentions were or if they were good or bad. Nevertheless, he shook his head and sat on the grass. If things were to get out of control then they could easily take on the trouble.

"While we pass the time," Sain spoke. "How about a game of cards? Kent, you and I can teach Lady Lyndis some of the games we play in Lycia!"

"The only games you know how to play involve gambling and binge drinking." Kent replied. "It wouldn't be appropriate."

Sain scowled. "Then we can do withOUT the gambling and drinking. Come on, loosen up a bit."

Kent sighed and raised his hands up in defeat, much to Sain's delight.

"Okay!" Sain shuffled his cards. "This first one I'm going to teach you is real easy to learn…"

* * *

"Alright, that's the plan. Any questions?" Glass growled. His gang that was gathered outside the temple walls shouted zealously in response. "Are ya sure? Those who aren't man enough can leave, but you won't get any of the goods from this!" This statement only caused Glass's posse to howl louder and more violent. Glass grinned a toothless smile.

"Good!" He withdrew his sword. "Now men! CHAAARRRGGE!"

With no effort at all, the door to the shrine was blown off its hinges and the room was immediately filled with bandits scourging every nook and cranny for their prized treasure.

"No, you fools!" Glass shouted. "Not there! Look! This old man has it! Leave him to me. Go guard the entrances or something."

Glass smirked as his men went off to carry out his orders and then turned to face a priest, who was carrying a golden scabbard in his trembling hands. Glass nearly drooled at the glimmer, but instead, pointed his sword's tip up to the priest's neck in a threatening manner.

"Now," he seethed. "Don't say anything. Just give me the sword and I'll leave. I'll even take my men with me and have them put everything back to the way it was."

"Scoundrel!" the priest belted out. "You can do whatever you want with me, but the Mani Katti will remain here, under divine protection from above!"

"You think I believe all that horseshit?" Glass pressed his sword further into the old man's neck, drawing some blood. "It may be a sacred blade, but it's still the same as any other blade and will be used as such!"

"You mean use it to fight? And kill? You would use this holy rapier to slash another man's flesh and stain it with blood? Blasphemy!"

"This is blasphemy?! Do you not know who I am? The name's Glass! Everybody, even the deities fear my existence and my swordplay. I take what I want and I want what I take. And I shall do so…now!"

Glass grabbed the priest by his robes and hurled him off the altar and onto the stone floor. The priest grunted as his head slammed into the ground, blood pouring out of his mouth. He looked up to see Glass running his grimy hands over the sleek gold of the Mani Katti's casing.

"Yes!" He cackled maniacally. "Oh yeah baby! It's mine! It's all mine. Now let's see the beauty inside this...what? What the…it's stuck! It's not coming out! This thing is rigged!"

"You have been judged by the spirits." The priest coughed, trying to get on his feet. "They know of your selfish desires. They have deemed you unworthy of wielding the Mani Katti."

"Don't you dare tell me I can't have the sword because a bunch of stupid spirits don't like my wants." Glass snarled, still trying to wriggle the Mani Katti from its cover, unaware of the priest making an escape through a nearby door. "Ugh! If I can't have this sword, no one can! You damned spirits! You don't know who's worthy and who's not! You don't deserve this altar! I'll tear it to the ground!"

* * *

"Are you kidding me!" Sain hollered in anger. "That's the fifteenth time I've lost! Are you sure you don't have an extra card up your sleeve, Kent?"

Kent allowed a small chuckle. "Not my fault you're terrible at this game. You're too quick to play your face cards."

"That's my strategy!" Sain argued back as Lyn watched in amusement.

She sighed. "Hey, Sain. It's just a game, let it go. Deal us in again."

"Fine, but it's not going to be so fun if I keep losing to this red-headed cheater." Sain grumbled as he distributed the cards into three piles. As they were about to start another round (which Sain would most likely lose since he had small number cards), a sudden crash came, followed by a scream that rang out into the open.

"What on earth was that?" Sain peered around for the source of the noise as Kent glared at the ground and tried to resist the urge to clench his hands into fists._ I knew there would be trouble._

Suddenly, a woman in her fifties came running towards the group and by the look of her panicked expression, there was a serious matter going on.

"You…are you headed towards the altar?" she panted.

"We are." Lyn answered. "Why?"

"You've got to help then! I saw a band of crooks head in there a while ago and now the priest is in trouble! I think the Mani Katti is in their possession!"

"They stole the Mani Katti?!" Lyn gritted her teeth in pure rage. "I will not let them get away with this!"

"You seem dependable. None of the locals here can fight. Please lend us your aid!" The woman ran off to alert the other houses of the crime, leaving Kent, Sain, and Lyn to plan out the operation.

"I take it you're going to help the priest, milady?" Sain asked.

"If that is your intention, then we'll need to ready ourselves." Kent added.

"True." Lyn responded. "We should ask the locals if they know anything. I'll take the house in my direction, Sain, go to the one next to mine, and Kent, visit the one that's behind us."

"Aye!" The men answered at once and began to run to their designated areas. Before going to her destination, Lyn paused and called out, "Remember, we don't have a tactician anymore, so outside information is the best guidance we have right now. We'll meet back at this fort afterwards. Be careful!"

Kent and Sain nodded in her direction and rode off towards the houses. After visiting the designated areas, Lyn and her knights returned to the fort to share all the information they found out. Kent listened intently and scribbled everything in a notebook for future references.

"Lyn, the lady you visited said there's a crack in one of the walls?" Kent recapped.

Lyn nodded. "The temple is rather old. It should be no problem breaking through it."

Kent felt a little guilty about destroying a holy sanctuary, but didn't say anything. A battle yell suddenly echoed across the land and the three turned to see a bandit prepared to strike.

"Sain, attack him!" Kent blurted out without thinking of the cons.

"Right away!" Sain's horse stood on its hind legs with a whinny and then charged the bandit. He managed to puncture the man's gut, but paid for it with a cut to his leg. The bandit ignored the pain from his stomach and switched his target to Kent. Being much more experienced than Sain, Kent dodged the swinging axe in time and finished the bandit off with a slice to the jugular vein. The bandit choked and gurgled before finally giving into death.

"One down." Lyn observed. "Okay, now to break the wall. Sain, you will take care of that. Kent, you and I shall guard him while he does so."

Everyone nodded and immediately got into formation. Sain switched out his sword for his lance and stabbed through the deteriorating wall. One blow already crumbled the worn down wall and one more would do the trick. As expected, a bandit guarding the outside of the temple heard the noise and ran to check what it was. He growled with annoyance when he saw Sain trying to break in and began to run towards him. However, Kent and Lyn instantly showed up in front of him, intercepting his path. Rolling his eyes, he prepared to strike down Lyn, but when he saw the fierceness in her eyes, he recoiled and ended up attacking Kent on accident. Kent yelled in surprise when he was unexpectedly clipped in the pelvis by the axe. He ignored the blood that was gluing his pants to his skin and sliced open the bandit's back, exposing the muscle and scar tissue. A battle cry from Lyn rang out, followed by the man's pained scream and a thud.

_We're making good time here. _Lyn contemplated. _Now all we have to do is enter the shrine…_

Sain ran his lance through the wall again and the remaining stones blew open with a loud crash. When the dust cleared, Sain barely had enough time to withdraw his sword, for a bandit already came sprinting out of the temple, axe in hand. Sain managed to dodge and retaliate with a nearly fatal blow to the man's chest.

"He's almost done for." Lyn said. "Finish him off."

Sain would've made a heroic response, but a glare from Kent convinced him otherwise. Without much effort, Sain pierced the bandit's chest again, this time running him through the heart and ending his life.

"Good work." Lyn praised him. "Let's go find their ringleader."

Everyone nodded and moved stealthily into the temple. The halls were dimly lit, save for some candles and the light seeping in through the hole in the wall. Sain noticed Kent grabbing a damaged part of his body and raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you heal that up?" Sain asked.

"No, I can handle it." Kent replied with a little frustration in his voice. "Just keep going."

"And he calls me reckless." Sain muttered, continuing to follow Lyn through the temple.

"I found him!" Lyn whispered. "He's on the throne. The bastard…"

Kent and Sain flinched, not expecting to hear something that crude coming from Lyn's mouth, but they held their tongues.

"He looks pretty nasty." Sain noticed. "…and awfully sure of himself. Will you be able to handle him, milady?"

Lyn flashed a confident grin. "Leave him to me."

With that, she dashed off to engage Glass in a fight.

"Hey you!" Lyn shouted. "You don't belong on that altar. I suggest you leave now with your men before I use force."

"Do you have any idea what you're up against?" Glass seethed. "Allow me to show you."

Lyn made the first strike. Glass parried it and threw back her weapon. He grinned at her shocked expression and attempted to thrust at her side. She rolled out of the way made a small cut across his leg. He gritted his teeth together and furiously swung his sword at her, puncturing her pressure points. Lyn grunted from the pain and fell to her knees with her hands clasping her wound. Glass laughed and would've finished her off right there and then if Sain hadn't galloped up and swung Lyn onto his saddle. Glass shook his eyes and looked disapproving at his opponent's skill.

"Who's next?" He taunted. "Try me again when you actually know how to swing a sword, bitch."

"That fiend." Sain hissed. "Wounding a beautiful lady is a crime worthy of a punishment worse than death. I'll take care of him…"

"Sain, don't." Lyn grasped his hand, causing the knight to blush profusely. "He's very skilled. Too skilled. I can't believe I was so…outmatched."

"You're still training, milady." Kent replied, hiding the anger in his voice. He ruffled his hair, trying to plan a next move. "Allow me to attack him."

"But Kent, you've been injured." Sain pointed out. "If he knocks you off your saddle, then it'll be hard to fight with an injury like that."

Kent ran his hand over his pelvic area, wincing when he touched his wound.

"Tis only a scratch." He tried to reassure everyone. "I won't let that stop me. Nor will I let a lowlife rogue trample on my honor as a knight of Caelin. Hyaah!"

Kent snapped the reigns on his horse, leaving Lyn and Sain to watch him engage Glass.

"He is ever the overly-dramatic one." Sain muttered.

"Actually Sain, I think that would be you." Lyn responded.

A scream interrupted the two from their conversation and they turned to see that Kent successfully pierced his lance through Glass's right shoulder. However, that did little to render his fighting capability. He switched his sword to his left hand and cut through the leather strap of Kent's horse's saddle. Kent was able to land on his feet, but the injury in his pelvis tore open even more, and he collapsed onto the ground. Glass grinned evilly and prepared to send the tip of his blade through Kent's heart.

"Oh no! Kent!" Lyn shouted.

"I knew this would happen!" Sain ran towards his horse, preparing to get Kent to safety.

Kent grit his teeth and looked at the tip of Glass's sword hovering about an inch above his chest.

"Looks like I bested you this time, knight." Glass snickered. "Prepare to die!"

Lyn's and Sain's eyes widened with horror as they saw Glass's sword penetrate Kent's armor.

"No…" Lyn covered her mouth to prevent a scream that was trying to come out. "How could this happen...?

Sain hung his head low. _But he didn't even finish his mission..._

All of a sudden, a strange noise reached Lyn's and Sain's ears, and the two looked up in curiousity. It sounded like someone was groaning and they caught sight of Glass desperately trying to push his sword further in. Kent had actually _grabbed_ the sword just as it was about to stab his heart, and was now forcing it back. No doubt the sword's edge was cutting open his gloves and hands, but that didn't hinder him one bit. When he managed to slide the sword out of his armor, he maneuvered it to the side, which caused Glass to impale the marble floor. Kent grabbed his lance and thrust it into Glass's back while the bandit was trying unsuccessfully to retrieve his sword. He coughed up blood and crumbled onto his side, writhing in pain for the last seconds of his life.

"It appears you are mistaken." Kent whispered to the fallen bandit. "I'm the one who bested you."

"Urgh…damn you…" Glass choked out before closing his eyes forever.

"Kent!"

Kent looked and saw Lyn and Sain running towards him.

"Kent, you little devil." Sain lightly punched his friend's shoulder. "You had me worried there for a second."

Kent smiled, though fatigue and pain began to set in. Lyn found a vulnerary on Glass's corpse and handed it to Kent.

"This battle is won." She proclaimed. "I'd say we didn't do half-bad for fighters who have no tactical experience."

"I second that." Kent responded.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed throughout the hall and the three readied themselves in case of another attack. Instead of an enemy approaching, it was the priest of the shrine. He seemed a little weary from what had happened, but he seemed rather fine.

"Are you all right, sir?" Lyn asked.

The man nodded. "Yes. There are no more bandits and the Mani Katti is safe. It's all thanks to you."

"It was no trouble at all. We apologize for the damage that we inflicted."

"Don't worry about that. I bet those brigands would have done much worse if it weren't for you three. Tell me, are you affiliated with the Lorca tribe in any way?"

"I'm the Chieftain's daughter, Lyn."

"I see. Well, Lyn, you may lay your hands on the blade and pray for a safe journey."

Lyn did as instructed and closed her eyes. Before she could even begin her prayer, the sword began to glow. Kent's and Sain's jaws dropped at the sight.

"What...?" Lyn's eyes dilated. "What's going on?"

"I don't think I've ever seen a sword glow like that." Sain exclaimed.

"Lyn, it's the spirits." The priest spoke calmly, but he was evidently excited. "They deem you worthy of wielding the Mani Katti. You have been chosen to use this sword."

"My sword?" Lyn shook her head. "It couldn't possibly be me."

"If you do not believe me, then draw the blade and you shall see."

Lyn exhaled deeply and with shaky hands, slowly gripped the hilt of the sword and gave it a tug. It was effortlessly unsheathed from its scabbard and seemed to shine even brighter than before, causing everyone present to shield their eyes. As the glow dimmed to the point where everyone could see again, the priest gasped when he observed Lyn holding the unsheathed Mani Katti.

"To think that I would get to meet the wielder of this sword before my time was up…yes…I am truly blessed. My life is complete. Lyn…"

Lyn was still getting over the shock that she herself had drawn the sacred sword from its sheath and was holding it in her own hands. In fact, the priest had to call her name two more times before she finally heard him.

"Y-yes?"

"The road ahead of you will be full of oppression, anxiety, and tribulations. Use this sword to guide you through those trials and prosper. I pray good fortunes upon you for your journey."

"Th-thank you, sir. Kent, Sain, let's go." Lyn sheathed the Mani Katti again and exited the shrine with Kent and Sain following behind.

* * *

"May I see it?" Sain asked once they were on the road again. "I'll be careful. It's not like I can use it or anything."

"Of course." Lyn handed it off to the brunette and watched as he examined it with amazement.

"So this is the legendary blade…the Mani Katti." Sain held it as he pretended to get into a fighting stance. "It's very charming and light-weight…just like its wielder."

Kent would have whacked Sain in the back of the head for that comment, however he didn't want him to accidentally drop it. He would get him for it later though. Lyn was apparently too deep in thought to even pay attention to Sain's babbling anyways.

"I still can't believe it. Out of all the heroes- past, present, and future- I'm the one to wield it." She said.

"It's not that surprising if you ask me." Kent piped up. "There's a legend that says swords are drawn to their owners. When you held that sword in your hands, I knew you were its rightful owner."

"You're just embarrassing me, Kent!" Lyn started to flush, as did Kent.

_Did I go too far with that?_ Kent couldn't imagine what his face looked like at that moment. _I've been around Sain for too long._

"Try to think of it this way." Sain intervened, much to Kent's relief. "You feel comfortable with it, it feels comfortable with you. The perfect sword-owner relationship."

"Ah, I see." Lyn held the sword in her hand again. The handle fit her grip perfectly, and it was very easy to carry. "Yes…this is my sword. I can accept that now." She gave it a couple practice swings and every time she did, the sword seemed to hum with delight, as if it yearned to be used. "I will care for it well. So where are we headed next, Kent?"

Kent pulled out a map from his satchel and determined their current location. "To get to Lycia, we must pass by this mountain range between Bern and Sacae. It should be about a four-day travel." Kent paused when he noticed a strange look on Lyn's face. When he pointed out the mountains on the map, he could see a look of vengefulness in her eyes. "Milady?"

"Hm? Oh yes. Four days you say? Well, standing here certainly won't get us there quicker. Let's get a move on."

With that, she half-walked, half-stomped through the road…in the wrong direction.

"Um, milady, the mountain pass is this way." Kent said, pointing in the other direction.

Lyn gave him a confused look at first, then understood that she was making a mistake. "Oh, uh, I knew that."

As she walked past them, Kent and Sain looked at each other and shrugged before following the trail to Lycia.

* * *

Meanwhile at Castle Caelin, Lord Lundgren was sitting at his desk in his room, massaging his temples.

"Lyndis…" he muttered. "You were supposed to be dead when those bandits attacked and I was supposed to be the rightful heir to the Marquess Caelin. Now you dare resurface to the world and march over here to take all that away from me?! Bear in mind, my '_niece_', that the consequences for your decision will be severe! You will perish on my assassin's hands. Once I'm done with my lout of a brother, nothing can stand in my way!"

A knock at the door interrupted him of his brooding monologue and he immediately whipped around to shoot a glare at the intruder.

"What do you want?" he seethed. The person at the door showed he was intimidated, but cleared his throat and tried to speak in a non-quivering voice.

"Zugu," he started. "Has encountered your niece, er, I mean the Sacaen girl."

"And?"

"Well, m-master, he…he was unable, t-to…"

"Speak up boy!"

"He was felled! Felled by her and two knights."

The man flinched, preparing to see a murderous rage in his master's eyes. Surprisingly, he was calm despite this failed attempt on Lyndis's life.

"Two knights?" Lundgren spoke. "What did they look like?"

"One was in green, the other was in red and they both…"

He cut himself off as Lundgren slammed his fist on his desk, causing a few ink bottles to tip over and leak their contents onto the desk's wooden surface and the ground. Lundgren emitted a low growl under his breath. _Kent and Sain…you dare defy me? No matter. You both were never qualified to serve under Caelin. To think my brother would hire such pathetic excuses for knights such as yourselves…actually he would._

"So, they're with her too." Lundgren mumbled, but then he started to chuckle.

"Sir?" the man rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"This…this is a joke right? Ha! This is almost too easy. I wasn't expecting Zugu to make it out alive of this. He was useless to us anyhow. Now that I see what we're up against, I know how to handle the situation. Lyndis, Kent, and Sain will all be dead before they set foot on Lycian soil."

"There's another, sir. A tactician was spotted guiding them on their way here and his tactics were pretty essential…but we took care of him."

"What do you mean?"

"Bring him in, boys!"

At that moment, two muscular men entered the doorway with a scrawny, young teenager in their grasp. Tucker was kicking and trying to fight back, but her resistance was futile.

"Let me get a closer look at him." Lundgren ordered.

The two men laughed cruelly before shoving Tucker onto the ground. Lundgren yanked her up by the hood and removed the choker around her mouth.

"So, this is the clever strategist that killed one of my assailants."

"I didn't kill anybody!" Tucker refuted.

"Ah, but you ordered my niece and her knights to take him out, so that makes you partially responsible. Whatever. Now look here, boy, I'm just going to get straight to business with you."

"I'm a girl."

"Man, woman, I don't care if you're a Manakete! What matters is that your antics are extremely accurate, and I need that mind of yours to formulate a plan that will blow Lyndis and her guards right out of existence!"

"Lyn will be here to knock your sorry ass off of the Caelin throne before I even begin one, evil deed for you."

"Enough!" Lundgren smacked Tucker across the face, which sent the brunette falling to the floor. "You talk big, but your words mean nothing! You will do as I say and that's that."

Tucker spat out some blood mixed with saliva and gave off a sick grin. "Heh, you've got the wrong person. I'm not even a tactician."

Lundgren had just about enough of her. He grabbed Tucker by the collar and pulled her close to his face.

"I will not repeat myself again so listen carefully." Lundgren growled and emphasized every syllable. "You will do as your told and execute your plans as flawlessly as possible. If Lyndis and her knights take so much as one step into Caelin territory, it'll be your head! UNDERSTAND?! Now get her out of here."

The two guards grabbed both of Tucker's arms and dragged her out of the room while Tucker struggled hopelessly and spewed out provocative curses down the hall. Lundgren was unimpressed.

"Stupid child." Lundgren sighed from frustration and buried his face in his hands. "Her strategies better be worth the trouble." He turned to address his adherent. "I want you to station more assassins on the road to Lycia, not too many, but enough to overwhelm Lyndis and her knights. Oh and before you go, did you intercept my brother's food?"

"Here it is, sir." The man held out a bowl of steaming onion soup and a cup of red wine.

"How did his body react to the first amount of poison?" Lundgren accepted the soup, but shook his head when the wine was offered.

"He complained of a bad stomachache, but after he vomited he was back on his feet again."

"Bah. You just never give up, do you brother?" Lundgren groaned, brandishing a black bottle with a poorly drawn illustration of a skull on it. "Guess we'll have to double your dosage. See how your system does against this much!"

He was about to pour in the overflowing spoonful of the white powder when his operative placed his hand over the bowl's rim.

"Wait, sir!" he interjected. "Are you right to give him this much? That stuff is very lethal and…"

"Your point being…?" Lundgren questioned, barely keeping the spoon horizontal. "This is part of my plan. The quicker we can get rid of Hausen, the quicker I can become marquess of Caelin."

The man opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it and shook his head. Lundgren let off a sinister smile before dumping the poison into the soup. The powder caused the brown liquid to fog a little, but it was hardly noticeable.

"Take this to my brother at once." Lundgren ordered, then took on a fake pitiful tone. "The poor man is probably starving."

His servant nodded and quickly went to distribute the meal to Lord Hausen. Lundgren watched as he left, the evil grin never leaving his face. _You should have just handed me your birthright so I wouldn't have to resort to this. You could have spared yourself from this torture. Oh well, it was your decision. Besides, I find this rather enjoyable, seeing my strong, older brother writhing in pain by my hands. There's no hope for you now. Once you're out of the way and I become the new marquess of Caelin, your precious granddaughter will never stand a chance!_

* * *

**A/N: That was a close call, Kent. XD Now we finally know about Tucker's whereabouts and her unfortunate situation. Hate to say it, but things aren't going to be so easy for her and for Lyn. Feedback and construction criticism is welcome**_  
_


	4. Lyndis's Legion

**A/N: Updates are going to be a little slow since school started again. And...some family problems came up, so that delayed this chapter update. Hope you all are enjoying it! Feedback and Constructive Criticism is very much appreciated!**

* * *

"Oi! Wake up, you lazy lout!"

Tucker groaned and slowly arose into a sitting position on the hard, cold stone floor of her cell. Her vision fogged up, her joints creaked with protest, and her muscles screamed in agony. The last four days have been brutal, dealing with the guards. They tried to put her into shackles, but she wouldn't stop squirming in their grasps. Because she was delaying their process, much to their displeasure, they had to resort to more…less than gentle means. They didn't break her bones, but they did completely dislocate her wrists and ankles, which hurt just as much. They only put her joints back into place once they got the cuffs onto her limbs. She was too weak to lift the chains, so they basically dragged her into the cell and shoved her in, making her hit her head on ground. The giant wound on her forehead opened up again, but all they did was conceal it. She was sure that it was becoming infected under the bandages.

"You think I'm standing 'ere for my 'ealth? Come over 'ere now!" barked the guard.

Tucker groaned again as she tried to get to her feet. She stumbled across the cell like a drunkard before clutching the bars on the door's window for support. She'd have to get used to these rude awakenings, considering she was going to be there a while.

"Pathetic. Can't even stand up on your own with a couple of light weights on ya feet."

_Yeah, not eating in two months does that to you._ Tucker thought. She had been abused multiple times by the wardens whenever she made a snarky comment to every nasty remark aimed towards her. She decided, half-mindedly, to just hold her tongue for now.

"Does Lundgren need to see me?" She asked.

"The boss already gave us 'is orders. We're going up to the Sacaen-Bernese border to station some men along the path. 'Ere's a map."

The jailer opened the cell door and jammed the rolled-up map into Tucker's torso, but the brunette just accepted it without any annoyance. She started to look over it until the guard yanked the chains on her arm to pull her forward.

"Ey! You'll 'ave plenty of time to look over it once we get to the border. Now get going! It'll be a long journey and we can't afford any delays."

Tucker glared at him, but made no attempt to fight back. She'd have to comply for now, even though some part of her would rather die than go up against Lyn.

The journey to the Sacaen-Bernese border had been rough since a raging thunderstorm hit just as they were passing through the mountains. Tucker was forced to walk on foot because of the lack to horses; she knew, however, that even if there were enough, they'd still make her walk. The trail was muddy and Tucker was barely able to keep her footing straight. It didn't help that the shackles on her feet sank into the mud, making it harder for her to take more steps uphill.

"Faster!" the guard yelled. "There are bandits in these mountains and we must hurry to station everyone!"

The horses picked up their speed quickly, but for Tucker, it took a small moment of hesitation and a whole lot of willpower to pick up the pace. After about nineteen hours of harsh travelling, they finally reached the border. The sun came out and the pathway straightened out again. Going through the mountains was a difficult challenge that took much physical and emotional exertion, but it was finally done with. Tucker was immensely grateful that they didn't encounter any bandits along the way.

"They might pass this way." One of the assailants spoke up, pointing to a small town. "Should we station some men here?"

"No." Everyone turned to see a man riding up on an impressive-looking white stallion. Unlike the other soldiers there, this man was in full uniform and armor, hinting that he held a much higher role in the militia. His name was Eagler, Lycia's finest general. He used to be one of Hausen's most trusted officers, but his favor soon turned towards Lord Lundgren, supporting Lundgren and his ambitions one hundred percent; it confused everyone as to why he would quickly turn his lance against Hausen.

"General Eagler?" his partner, Yogi, inquired curiously.

"There is no doubt that Lyndis will approach this area." Eagler continued. "However, this town is near bandit territory and by the looks of it, it seems to be ravished by those rogues very often. The damage done here shows of these bandits' strength. No doubt that if they attack again, they will be able to take Lyndis and her guards down. In that case, we should waste no time here and find locations that aren't currently dominated by bandits."

Everyone nodded in agreement, figuring it would be a good plan.

"But what if the bandits don't attack?" a voice spoke up; all the members of the army turned and saw Tucker, just now catching up with the group. "There's no telling what goes on in the minds of those brigands."

Yogi scowled at her. "How dare you question the decision of one of the highest ranking generals of Lycia!"

"Quiet, Yogi." Eagler interrupted. He looked at Tucker with an impassive face. "She's the tactician. We should keep her word in mind as well."

Yogi rolled his eyes and waited for Tucker to formulate a plan. All eyes were on the teen as she fidgeted with her hands anxiously.

"I-I say we should scout the town." Tucker stuttered.

"Why?" Eagler asked.

"Um, well…"

"This is all a waste of time!" Yogi shouted. "Either you tell us why we should scout the town, or we execute you now!"

"You won't have the guts!" Tucker shouted back. Everyone gasped .

"Why you little…!" Yogi drew his lance and was about to skewer Tucker with it, but Eagler grabbed it.

"Yogi, stay your weapon." Eagler reprimanded him. "Lundgren wanted her alive."

"But General Eagler, she's acquainted with that Sacaen imposter. How can we trust her?"

"I have military experience myself. If she does something I don't like, I will take her down and control the strategies myself. Does that clear any worries?"

Yogi looked at him skeptically, but then nodded and let his lance down.

"All right." Eagler turned back to Tucker. "Back to business. Why do you want to scout the town?"

Tucker once again felt like she was thrown up against a brick wall with weapons pointing at her from every direction. _Grandfather, what would you do in a situation like this?_ Suddenly, an idea came to her and she blurted out, "For information! Tell me, General. You know that bandits attacked this place and you think that they constantly do so. But how well do you think you can support that claim if you don't even come to this part of Sacae?"

"This is truth." Eagler agreed without hesitation. "It's not often that I come here at all, so I don't really know the territory that much. All right, let's do what she says! Three or four of you will go with her and scout the town."

Yogi's jaw dropped, but he dared not utter a word. Tucker's own jaw dropped as well. Even though Eagler worked for Lundgren, he seemed to be the only decent man of the group. He reminded her a bit of Kent, chivalrous and dutiful. Thinking of the redhead made her miss her friends, but pushed the feeling aside and traveled to the town with a small group of men when her shackles were removed. Once they approached the gates, they all split up and went to investigate. The town was definitely destroyed, but there were no bandits in sight. Tucker sighed and leaned against a wall, trying to gather her thoughts. She was slightly relieved that she was able to buy time, but it wouldn't be enough to wait for Lyn and her group.

"I have a feeling she will come this way." Tucker massaged her temples. "But by the time she does, I'll be gone. If only there was some way for me to help her."

"Pst!"

"Huh?" Tucker jumped with a start and looked around. "I'm sure I heard a noise…"

"Hey you!" There it was again. Tucker searched for the voice before setting her eyes on a brown-haired young man, whom was peeking from behind the gates of a small village.

"Me?" Tucker pointed at herself.

"Who else?" The man replied. "Get out of here! There are bandits about."

"Bandits? Where?"

The man rolled his eyes, looked left and right through the gates, and stealthily approached her. When he got nearer, he grabbed Tucker's shoulder and pulled her down into a kneeling position with him.

"What are you…" Tucker asked aloud before having a hand clamp over her mouth.

"Shh!" The man put a finger to his lips. He raised his head slightly above the wall and motioned for her to do the same. "Over there."

She followed his gaze to a ravenous-looking group of bandits, breaking through windows and smashing walls to hunt for valuables. Upon further expression, she saw the bodies of the men who accompanied her lying scattered on the ground. Apparently, the man next to her thought that both had seen enough and pulled themselves below the wall again.

"Now you see?" He whispered. "These men are like dogs. Well, vicious dogs, not cute dogs. They'll scavenge the area for whatever pleases their eye, whether it be gold, livestock, carriages, family treasures, women…"

"Okay." Tucker cut him off. He appeared to be a nice man, but he seemed to like to talk _a lot._ The description of the bandits sounded similar to another description she heard from Lyn so she decided to ask, "Are they with the Taliver?"

"What? No!" Wil raised his voice slightly, but then lowered it back down. "And thank God for that. These bandits are from Ganelon, and though they seem pretty bad, they're not nearly as horrendous as the Taliver."

"Ah, I see."

"Are you a new face? You don't seem to be around here."

"I'm not. My name is Tucker."

"That's a pretty unique name for a girl! I'm Wil."

How Wil was able to tell Tucker was a girl was beyond her, but she nevertheless shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Wil."

"Likewise. Well it's been fun, but I should really get back to hiding. I suggest you do the same. See ya!"

"Wil, wait!" Tucker grabbed his arm. "Do you use weapons?"

Wil blinked. "Ah, yeah you could say that. I've recently taken up archery, but why do you ask?"

"I have a feeling some friends of mine will be passing by this area. They're a resistance group on a mission, but they'll need all the help they can get."

"Oh, do they have enough strength to defeat these crooks?"

"Perhaps…"

"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for them then. I'll tell them my buddy Tuck requested that I join their team."

"No! Don't tell them anything about me. It's…complicated."

Wil raised an eyebrow at this, but then nodded. "You got it. Good luck."

After Wil left, Tucker quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and lead. _Now what did my grandfather say about archers? Oh yeah!_

Tucker quickly scribbled a note down on the paper and stuck half of it in a crack of the wall. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she looked up to see a bandit grinning savagely at her.

"Well, what have we here?" He cackled.

Tucker would have screamed for that Wil person to come help, but before she could do so, she heard the sounds of wings flapping and a person shrieking. The bandit heard it too, but when he looked up he unexpectedly got a face full of Pegasus hoof. This gave Tucker the chance to make a brief escape from the bandit. She didn't bother to look back at the commotion as she ran back to the Lycian army.

"Bandits!" She announced to the group. "There are bandits in the village. They took out the soldiers that were with me!"

"Then we've no reason to stay." Eagler finished. "Come on, men. Our next stop: Araphen!"

The men saluted the general with their weapons and kicked their horses to get moving again. Tucker stole one last look at the town before sprinting up towards the group. As soon as she turned her back on the town, Lyn and her colleagues had arrived on the scene…

* * *

Lyn mentally kept track of the number of days she had been away from the plains. She could hardly believe that ten days had already passed by, yet so much has already happened. The Mani Katti glowed at her side, anxious for another battle. Sain jokingly nicknamed it the "Sadistic Sword" because of the way it seemed to lust for blood. Kent thought Lyn would be offended for a holy sword to be named in such a way, but she paid it no mind. In fact, she seemed to only focus on one thing as they travelled to the Sacaen-Bernese border, but she didn't bother explaining what was occupying her thoughts. Once they neared the mountains, she said even less, which was unlike her. Sain whispered this to Kent, but neither of them could figure out what made Lyn so silent. Her body language partially gave them a hint to what she was feeling: her breaths were more shaky, she started treading more heavily, and her shoulder muscles were tensed up.

"Milady Lyndis?" Sain decided to break the silence.

"Yes, Sain?" Her tone was polite, but Sain could detect some sort of bite to it.

"I was just wondering how you were holding up."

"You could ride my horse if you want." Kent offered.

Lyn shook her head. "No, it's fine. Sacaens are accustomed to travelling on foot anyways."

The conversation ended abruptly and the atmosphere around them was once again quiet. Too quiet.

"We better be on our guard." Kent spoke. "There are bandits in these mountains."

"I know." Lyn responded, very much aggravated.

The red-haired knight was taken aback at Lyn's fierce tone, but said nothing more as they continued to ride on. Lyn suddenly stopped.

"Kent, I'm sorry." She said. "I didn't mean to snap like that."

"Hm?" Kent tried searching for a response. "Eh, no need to apologize. I don't mean to be bothersome to my liege."

"But you weren't bothering me. It's just…I'll explain later."

"I…understand."

The three resumed their march through the mountains before finally coming across a small town. From where she stood, Lyn could see a group of people riding off in the distance, but she couldn't tell their ethnicity at this length. A gasp from Sain got her attention.

"St. Elimine. What happened here?" He exclaimed. "This town's…demolished. Doesn't their marquess ever see to these conditions."

Lyn sighed. "It's not that. The only people in control here are the bloodthirsty Taliver Bandits. I used to live right passed these mountains. I still remember so vividly…night came and they just…destroyed everyone. Just a mere ten of us survived…the damage was too great…"

Lyn's eyes started to water, but this time it was out of anger. "I'll never forgive those…those savages. They deserve hell for what they've done. And I'll be the one to send them there…one undeserving life after another…"

"Lady Lyndis…" Sain placed a hand on her shoulder. "…when that day arrives, whether it be a decade or more, I'll be there too."

"Right." Kent rode up beside Sain. "As will I."

The two knights brought their fists up to their chests, earning a smile from Lyn.

"Kent, Sain," She breathed. "Thank you. You support me well."

Kent and Sain returned the smile and for a moment, the aura around them felt much happier. Then suddenly, a scream came from the town, interrupting the moment.

"What the…let's go check that out!" Lyn exclaimed.

Without protests, the three silently treaded over to the gates of the town and crouched behind the walls with only the tops of their heads sticking out. Two men were harassing a young girl with purple hair and by the looks of her complexion, she appeared to hail from Ilia.

_Florina? _Lyn blinked, then stared harder at the familiar girl's face. There was no denying it; it was indeed her dear friend.

"You're not sorry!" One of the men said. "Just apologizing doesn't mean you meant it."

"But I am!" Florina cried. "I lost control of my Pegasus! I didn't mean to land on your head!"

"Check her out, Migal." The other man said. "I bet we could get some good coins for her."

"Aye, that is true." the first man, identified as Migal, responded. "It's what she gets for landing on my head."

"What about her beast?"

When they mentioned her mount, something inside of Florina snapped and she was temporarily not afraid. "You better not lay a finger on my Pegasus!"

"Shut up!" Migal shouted. "And what's gonna happen if I do, huh? Whatchu gonna do then? Cry?"

Florina's cheeks flushed red with anger, but her fear from before began to kick in again. "L-Look…you…you can take me instead…but don't do anything to her!"

Migal responded with a crude laugh. "Hah! You obviously don't understand the value in these beauties. They go up high in prices at the market, twice the amount of a high class slave! Ain't no way I'm gonna throw away perfect money like this. Let's go!"

"Such brutes." Kent seethed. "We should probably…" Kent cut himself off when he realized Lyn wasn't next to him anymore. "…where did she…"

Sain tapped Kent on the shoulder and pointed in the direction where Lyn had taken off. It was too late to call Lyn back for she was already half the distance away from the commotion. The two knights sighed and decided to follow her, both keeping a cautious hand on their weapons.

"Florina!" Lyn shouted.

Migal and Florina froze in their spots and looked for the voice. Florina's eyes brightened with delight when she saw her friend sprinting to her.

"Lyn!" Florina effortlessly broke free of Migal's grasp on her and ran to meet her halfway.

"Lyn! It's you, it's really you…thank God…" Florina sniffled as she drew Lyn into a tight embrace.

"Florina, please don't cry." Lyn sighed, patting the Pegasus knight's head.

"Milady Lyndis?" Kent spoke as he and Sain drew near.

Lyn felt Florina hold onto her tighter when she heard Kent's voice.

_She hadn't changed a bit. _Lyn had to smile at that. "Guys, this is my best friend, Florina. She's from Ilia, training to be a Pegasus knight, and she's…kind of afraid of men." Lyn carefully let her go, though the poor girl seemed a little disheartened at that. "You seem to have gotten yourself in a bit of trouble here, Florina. Can you tell me what happened?"

Florina played with her hands anxiously as she tried to gather her thoughts. "Um…I…uh…well I heard you left Sacae so I tried to find you. But you were nowhere to be seen so I came to this village to ask for help, but…I kind of…lost control midflight."

"Did you accidentally fall on one of these men?" Kent prodded.

"Eh…yes…" Florina looked at the ground in shame.

"Aha! She admits it! She did land on me!" Migal shouted accusingly.

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Florina retorted.

"Florina," Lyn tried to break up the potential argument. "you should at least say that you're sorry."

"But I already did! Hundreds of times, but they…they don't…" Florina started whimpering out of frustration. "They won't listen to me!"

"Florina, don't worry. I'll take care of this." Lyn hugged her again. "Look, it was an accident and she takes full responsibility. You're not hurt so why don't we just drop it and go on?"

"No way!" Migal refused. "She landed on my head. She deserves punishment. And you look pretty fine yourself, baby. Hoh man, I'm going to be so rich! Boys, kill off the men, but keep the girls in fine shape. One scratch will lower their value!"

"But I said I was sorry!" Florina whined.

"No time for that." Lyn grabbed Florina's wrist, while the girl grabbed the reigns of her Pegasus. "There's no point in negotiating with bandits."

"Let's go back behind that wall so we can strategize!" Sain suggested.

Everyone agreed to that and quickly took cover behind the walls as hoards of men began filling into the streets, brandishing their weapons.

"Okay, we need a plan and fast." Lyn whispered as they, save Florina, huddled together. "Florina, what are you doing over there? Come get in."

"Uh…no thanks." Florina shook her head. "I can hear fine from right where I stand."

"Don't be shy, Dame Florina!" Sain tried to encourage her. "There's plenty of room next to me-OW!"

"Sain, enough!" Kent scolded him.

Lyn shook her head. "Back to planning. We're going to be up against typical bandits, some of whom are archers. Florina, you'll have to watch out for that."

"Um, okay."

"Oh, don't be afraid now! You're a Pegasus knight, remember?"

"R-Right!"

"Okay, now there's a couple villages where we should seek aid. Do we know where their boss went?"

"He went to the other side of the village, Lady Lyndis." Kent said. "We should use the walls for defense and gradually make our way over to their leader."

"Sounds like a plan!" Sain chimed.

"I like that plan too." Came an unfamiliar voice.

"Ahh!" Everyone gasped in surprise and found a brown-haired man with a sheepish expression on his face.

"Blast it!" Lyn exclaimed. "Don't sneak up on us like that."

"I say, you could've given me a heart attack!" Sain added.

"Aye, it isn't wise to sneak up on people who carry weapons!" Kent berated him. "We could've struck you down in an instant."

"Hey, I'm sorry okay!" The man ran a hand through his hair. "The name's Wil. And no, I'm not with those bandits. I recently came to this village, a lovely village might I add, and since everyone's been nothing but good to me, I feel I should help rid this place of these rogues. By the way, you must be the resistance group I heard about."

"Resistance group?" Kent inquired. "Did word of us really spread so quickly?"

"I…didn't tell him anything." Florina whispered.

"Who told you we were coming?" Lyn asked.

Wil's eyes widened and he mentally kicked himself. _I'm such a big mouth. Tucker would be so mad at me right now. _"Uh, I mean, well…" He chuckled nervously. "Outside resources. Don't ask who though, because it's extremely confidential. But enough about that, I wish to help! I can use a bow, but that's it."

"I…see." Lyn closed her eyes as she went into deep thinking. "This will probably change our plans a bit."

"Milady, look!" Sain got her attention. "I found a piece of paper in this wall. It appears to be a note of some sorts."

"Let me see?" Lyn took the letter and began to skim over the writing. It read:

_Archers may not be able to defend themselves in close range combat, but they are able to attack from afar. I'd suggest stationing Wil behind a wall and have him attack from there. Good luck, Lyn._

Lyn stared puzzled at the note. She understood its meaning, but she was completely baffled about its origins. Whoever sent it must have known that she was coming, but who? It couldn't be Wil, for he would just explain his role instead of having to put it in writing. Could it be…

"Milady, forgive me for interrupting, but we should really get ready for battle." Kent stated. "The bandits are about to close in on us."

"Right! Florina, steer clear from the archers. Wil, go behind the walls and attack any enemies that come near. Kent and Sain, we will help take out the rest of the bandits. Everyone know their positions? Good. Onward!"

* * *

"Heyo, boss." One of the bandits called out. "We seemed to have scared those people off so why are we still here? Can't we go back to plundering?"

"Of course not, you idiot!" Migal shouted. "Have you seen those two women? We're not going to let them escape. We'll tear this place down piece by piece even if it kills us! Now be on your watch!"

The bandit rolled his eyes and nonchalantly looked around the city until suddenly, there was a deep pain coming from his knee. When he looked down, he saw an arrow sticking straight out from it, causing him to collapse from the sight.

"Haha! YEAH!" Wil fist pumped the air. "Wil: 1 Bandits: Zip! Take that, punks! There's more where that came…AHH!"

"Get down!" Kent shouted, grabbing Wil by the shoulder and pulling him down before five arrows were immediately fired towards them. "You could've at least waited for the rest of us to get in formation!"

Wil grinned nervously. "Eh, my bad. Sorry, this is my first time in actual combat…I guess I got a little excited."

Kent face palmed. "Just…don't let it get to your head. Otherwise you'll wind up like this man over here…"

He pointed towards Sain, whom was already charging the bandits with a fuming Lyn sprinting behind.

"Sain! I didn't give the order to attack yet!"

"But Wil got the first shot in!" Sain replied, still riding ahead. "Now they're all in a frenzy. Might as well begin attacking them!"

Kent groaned, already riding off. "I better follow them. Stay behind this wall and protect Florina."

"You got it!" Wil gave a thumbs up. "I promise I won't screw up this time."

A shadow mysteriously enveloped Wil, and the archer looked up to see a huge bandit towering over him.

"That arrow really hurt." He said, motioning to his bleeding knee. "But not as much as this sword. You'll soon find out for yourself…"

Wil felt his stomach drop and braced himself for the pain…it never came. Instead, he saw the bandit collapse to the ground again, but this time dead. Florina removed her lance from the man's back, looking rather pale but quite proud of herself.

"Hey, thanks." Wil smiled and extended a hand towards her.

Florina backed away and shrieked. "EEK! L-Lyn, there's an archer!"

Lyn finished off the bandit she was fighting and quickly turned towards her friend's screech. Her concern dropped when she realized what the situation was.

"Don't worry, Florina! He's on our side!"

Florina blushed with embarrassment. "Oh…um, sorry."

Wil scratched his head. "Eh, I'm sorry if I made some sort of aggression? Never mind. Just…remember that I'm your ally. Oh! If I recall, there's another village close by. We should go visit it!"

"Oh…okay." Florina said, uneasily.

Wil checked the distance for anymore bandits before heading towards the other village, signaling for Florina to follow. It didn't take long for them to reach the village and the coast was all clear. Wil quickly ran inside the gates while Florina stood watch. A few minutes later, Wil came out with a bag of gold in his hands.

"The village gave us about two thousand gold pieces, which we can spend at that armory over yonder." Wil explained, tucking the pouch away in his shirt. "There's not much to get there, but I'm sure there will be other armories."

Florina nodded, too nervous to say anything. All of a sudden, she caught sight of a bandit sneaking up behind Wil. She was too surprised to scream or warn Wil of certain disaster to come.

"What's the matter?" Wil inquired, confused at the rapid change in Florina's expression. "Cat got your tongue?"

"W-Wil…" Before she could even finish, the bandit struck his axe into Wil's hip, causing the archer to yelp in pain. Florina didn't know what to do. Wil was injured and couldn't attack from close range, the man had the advantage with his axe while she had a lance, and the others were on the other side of the town.

"You and your Pegasus are gonna make us some good money, babe." The bandit laughed.

"Florina, fly us out of here!" Wil commanded.

"'Us?'" Florina repeated, unsure of how to respond.

"Yeah us! What, are you going to leave me for dead?!"

"Um, no, I…" Florina cut herself off as she saw the bandit ready to strike.

Wil, without warning and not considering Florina's reactions, jumped onto the saddle and held onto Florina's waist. Florina wailed in surprise and quickly urged her Pegasus into the air before the bandit's axe came down on them. Florina suppressed the urge to faint and hyperventilate while they made their way to safer grounds. Finally they landed, and Wil carefully dismounted and dusted himself off.

"You all right?" He asked. "Sorry about that, but both of us could've gotten killed right there and then."

Florina paled and sweat dripped down her forehead. She was more afraid of Wil than the bandit at that point; never before had she let a man hold her that way, even if he didn't mean harm.

"Again, I apologize." Wil continued. "I didn't mean to put you in an awkward situation. Agh, this wound hurts. Do you have a vulnerary?"

Florina, still unable to form words, simply nodded and withdrew one from her satchel. She froze when she realized that she had to _give _it to him. She gulped and tried to calm herself down.

_He's my ally. My ally needs help. He's injured. He's not going to hurt me…_ Florina kept repeating this to herself until the vulnerary successfully reached Wil's hands. The archer took a quick swig from it and watched his wound heal up.

"Ah thanks." Wil said. "Here you go."

"KEEP IT!" Florina said immediately. "Uh…we better go help."

Wil raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as he and Florina went to catch up with their companions. It seemed Kent, Sain, and Lyn were in a tight spot. There was a small space between two walls that could only fit one person. Sain was in that position, trying to fight off other bandits while dodging attacks from an archer. Sain gritted his teeth together as he killed another bandit as an arrow struck his arm. Another bandit was quick to appear and engaged Sain in another skirmish. The knight in green was becoming tired from exertion and blood loss, and his attacks were more weaker than usual.

"Sain, fall back." Kent instructed him. "You're going to die if you keep this up."

"Nonsense!" Sain laughed weakly. "A knight like me knows no limits! I shan't give up! Not when I'm protecting my Lady Lyndis!"

"Sain, you should heed Kent's order." Lyn said. "We can't lose you now."

_She's worrying for me again? How wonderful! I knew she likes me!_ Sain smiled to himself. "Well since you put it that way…okay, I'll fall back."

Sain led his horse to a clear space, allowing Kent to take his spot. He effortlessly finished off three more bandits all the while dodging more arrows until the archer was struck down, courtesy of Wil. One more bandit dared to approach them, despite the majority of his allies dead. He attempted to go after Lyn, but she managed to evade his attack and stab the Mani Katti right through his abdomen.

_This is definitely more powerful than my iron sword forged to the highest mount. _Lyn flicked the blood from the blade and waited for everyone to file passed the walls.

"I'll take their leader on." Lyn said. "With this blade, I don't think I can lose. Besides, I want a word with him first."

Lyn ran off before having to listen to any objections from her group. She saw Migal standing on top a pile of rubble, but when he noticed her, he jumped down and slowly approached her in an intimidating manner.

"So, I see you've defeated all my men." Migal mused. "Impressive, but I'm afraid I'm more stronger than them. If I were you, I'd drop your weapons and leave."

Lyn ignored his comment. "I've been meaning to ask…are you associated with the Taliver Bandits?"

Migal widened his eyes, as if he was offended. "The Taliver? Hell no we ain't! We're from Ganelon. Yeah we plunder some villages here and there, but we're nothing like those nasty bastards! Besides, women like you make good money, so why waste? Hehehe…"

"Then I've no reason to get revenge on you. Unless you want to deal with me and the might of my sword, then I suggest you get out of here and never come back."

"Grr…enough talk! Bring it, wench!"

Lyn slashed at him first, already critically wounding him. Migal looked surprised as drops of his blood began to collect on the ground. Shaking his head and ridding his mind off the pain, he cranked his axe back and sprinted towards the Sacaen. Before he could even connect the weapon to her neck, Lyn sliced the blade clean off, making it just a useless shaft. Migal gulped, unsure of what to do now.

"Hah…that was clever." Migal bent over to retrieve the blade of his axe. "This is pure steel right here. But I sure as hell ain't gonna start running yet!"

In a last attempt to defeat this girl, Migal spun around and heaved the axe at incredible speed. Lyn, surprisingly, was able to dodge it just in time. A vibration went up her arm, and before she knew it, she sprinted at full speed towards Migal, running her entire blade through his heart. Migal choked and spat out some blood as he slid off the blade.

"Ugh…there are…more of us…they will want…revenge…urgh…" Taking one final breath, Migal was no more.

Lyn panted. "I've never been able to pull an attack like that before. Incredible…"

"Milady Lyndis!"

Lyn looked to see the others running towards her. Florina got there first and threw her arms around her. Kent came up second, examining the aftermath.

"Are you uninjured, milady?" Kent asked.

Lyn nodded. "Aye, I'm fine."

"Thank goodness." Florina sighed. "I wouldn't know what I'd do if something happened to you, Lyn."

"Florina…" Lyn smiled. "It's been a while. But I must ask, why would you follow me into serious danger like this?"

"The knighting ceremony in Ilia." Florina explained. "I, along with some other soldiers, go out and train some more until we get more experience. I wanted to say hi to you one last time before I left, but you were already gone. The people you left with were complete strangers so…"

"Strangers?" Sain interjected. "We're hardly anything of the sort!"

Lyn smirked and softly nudged Sain with her elbow, her way of telling him to shut up. "Florina, I appreciate that you would worry for me like that, but honestly, I'm more concerned about you. Most soldiers are usually men so…I don't know how you'd hold up."

Florina frowned. "Yes, I'm aware. But I've always wanted to be a Pegasus knight so I though I could deal with it, but…it's not really working." She shot a glance towards Wil, whom just pretended to not notice. "Maybe I should…forget about it and do something else!" The girl buried her face in her hands and started to cry.

"Florina…" Lyn shook her head as she dried the tears off her friend's face.

"Wait, fair and lovely Florina!" Sain called, getting everyone's attention. "Don't give up just yet. Why not join us instead? With Wil here…"

"Huh? Me too?" Wil asked.

"Definitely! Can't you see? It's Fate that has brought us all here together! As I was saying, with Wil here, we're about as close to any group of mercenaries out there! Not to mention, the training will be exclusive, nothing like the typical experience most trainees go through!"

"Sain!" Kent intervened. "Stop fooling around. We're not…"

"I think it's a great idea." Lyn said. "Florina, I know this isn't something you were planning on, but please join us?"

Florina smiled broadly. "Of course! I'd love to travel with you! This will be great!"

Sain clapped his hands together. "I was hoping you would say that! Dame Florina, we should get to know each other. My name is Sain…"

"AHH!" Florina hid behind Lyn. "N-No…get away…"

Lyn chuckled before getting pulled off to the side by Kent.

"I apologize for my friend's manners, or lack thereof." He mumbled. "I mean, we're not mercenaries."

"Ah don't worry about it." Lyn said. "I don't want to just abandon Florina, especially after Tucker…" She stopped and shook her head. "Anyways, I think this will be good for her. Also…" She pulled Kent lower so she could whisper in his ear. "I want to try and help Florina overcome her fear of men. And seeing that you have the most maturity out of this group, maybe you could, um, stay close to her and protect her from you-know-who?"

Kent nodded. "Of course. I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Kent."

"So um…" Kent and Lyn whirled around in surprise to see Wil standing behind them.

"Wil, what have we said about sneaking up on us?" Lyn scolded him.

"Heh, sorry. I was just wondering, is it really all right with you guys that I come along?"

"Of course! We do need an archer on our squad after all."

"You mean it? That's great!" Wil grinned. "I'm…kind of low on the money so I do need this work. And I've already come up with the perfect name for our battalion: Lyndis's Legion!"

"Ooh! I like the sound of that!" Sain said.

"It…it sounds…formidable." Florina shyly agreed.

"Yes, it does have a ring to it." Kent nodded. "What do you think, milady?"

"Lyndis's Legion…hmm…" Lyn smiled. "I approve."

* * *

**A/N: Thus Lyndis's Legion was born! If I may add, Wil is an extremely fun character to write, with his bubbly personality and naivety. The perfect source for comic relief!**


	5. He Needed the Gold

**A/N: I have to say, so far this chapter was really fun to write. Hopefully it will be just as much fun to read!**

* * *

The afternoon passed quickly over the lands of Lycia, and before long, Lyndis's Legion found themselves about to travel in the dead of night.

"There's not much sunlight left." Kent observed. "It's necessary we should seek shelter soon."

"Don't worry about that, guys." Wil said. "I said I'd handle it, remember?"

"You've been saying the same thing for three hours now." Sain muttered. "Do you know exactly where we're going?"

"Well, uh, you'll have to remember that I'm not originally from this area so…"

Everyone groaned at that.

"Just find us a place soon." Lyn said. "I really don't feel like getting ambushed by bandits at this hour."

Wil felt himself growing more nervous. He had no idea where in the name of St. Elimine he was travelling. He remembered passing by an old fortress when he came this way, but it seemed nowhere in sight.

"Please don't tell me it eroded." Wil whispered to himself. Unfortunately, everyone heard him.

"What eroded?" Kent asked through clenched teeth. Despite the self control he had, he too was meeting the end of his patience.

"Nothing!" Wil said. "Trust me, I know exactly where to...oomph!"

"Wil!" shouted Lyn.

The archer felt himself collide into a wall, causing him to fall on the seat of his pants. For a moment, he was seeing stars- no, not because it was nearly nighttime- but then his mind toggled back into place and he saw his glorious life-saver: the fortress.

"Ha! Told ya I'd find it!" Wil announced proudly. "Make yourselves at home!"

Everyone just stood and stared with their mouths agape at the horrendous structure. Mold and mildew had collected in many patches on the walls. The other half of the building was collapsed at one side, and the cement holding the bricks up was turning to dust. Stains from the rain and weather had stayed, and a rotting smell contaminated the atmosphere around it. In short, the fortress was so unsanitary and dangerous, it seemed uninhabitable to sleep in. However, this would have to suffice as their only shelter out of miles of nothingness.

"Hah, you're kidding right?" Sain chuckled as they reluctantly entered. "We can't possibly stay in this place."

"Like it or lump it, Sain." Wil responded. "Or would you rather stay the night in the mountains with the bandits?"

"The latter sounds more pleasant if you ask me." Sain grumbled. He hissed when a drop of water fell on his head.

Florina walked around nervously, flinching at the shadows and sounds.

"I-It's okay, Huey." She patted her Pegasus's snout. "There's…there's nothing…t-to be afraid of."

At that moment, there came a rampant amount of squeaking and Florina saw a stampede of rats race across her feet. She screamed in fear and quickly scrambled into Lyn's arms for security. Kent too was appalled at this place, more so that it would be sheltering the Lady Lyndis, but he didn't bother to comment while he used his lance to knock down old cobwebs in his path.

"This isn't all bad, right?" Lyn tried to sound as optimistic as she could.

"Not that bad?" Sain reiterated in disbelief. "The fortress doesn't even have a _ceiling_!"

"Well yes, but something about sleeping under the starts makes me feel at home. At least we get a breeze."

"Um, I'll be fine as long as I'm with you, Lyn." Florina said, holding her friend tighter.

Sain sighed. If his liege liked it, then he decided he should adapt too. After all, he _could_ spend the night next to the two women. A smile graced across his lips at that.

"Then I'll stay by your ladies' sides as well." He said. "For protection!"

Kent rolled his eyes, already knowing full well about his friend's intentions. "Sain, you can protect them...by keeping watch."

"What? But that's not what I…ah, never mind."

"Um, pardon me," a voice spoke up. "But… who are you people?"

Everyone's heads shot up at the sound.

"This place is already occupied?" Wil exclaimed. "Aw man, does this mean we'll have to go somewhere else?"

"Ah, no. Forgive me, that's not what I meant."

"Lyn," Florina whispered. "Over there."

A young woman, possibly in her thirties, came limping on a crutch through the corridor, a small torch in her free hand. As she was making her way towards the group, her crutch got implemented in a crack in the floor and she stumbled forward. Kent and Lyn were at her side in an instant, keeping her from losing her balance.

"Ah, sorry about that." The woman said. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Lyn and Kent carefully removed their arms from her. Lyn noticed, under the torch light, a deformity in the woman's right leg.

"Cleft foot." The woman explained. "I've had it since I was a child. It restricts my movement, but it doesn't hurt much."

"Eh, I-I apologize for staring." Lyn stammered. "My name is Lyndis, or Lyn for short. This is Kent, and over there are Wil, Florina, and Sain."

"Ah, pleased to make your acquaintances. I am Natalie. I live in a village not far from here."

"Miss Natalie," Kent said. "What brings you all the way out here?"

"I…it's a long story. I was looking for my husband."

A moan of disappointment from Sain sounded through the fort, but no one paid him any attention.

Natalie continued. "Well, he and I aren't financially strong and my leg has been getting worse as of late. So he left town to try and earn some money, but he's been gone for so long and I haven't any word from him since. I fear for his safety. I drew a picture of him, and I know it's not good and the possibilities are low, but could you have possibly seen him? His name is Dorcas."

Natalie took out her sketch of a man with a beard and presented it for Lyn and Kent to examine. Both shook their heads.

"I'm sorry." Lyn said. "His name doesn't ring any bells."

Natalie sighed. "As I figured. Well, if you happen to pass by him at any time, will you please tell him that Natalie wants him to come home now?"

"Of course."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

As the group and Natalie settled in with Kent on guard, two men who were concealed in the bushes were observing the entire scene.

"So these are the chumps that defeated Migal and his gang." One of them cursed.

"Carjiga, this will be almost too easy!" The other man said. "Especially since they dug their own graves in that fortress. Once the sun sets completely over the horizon, then we'll…"

"Were you dropped on your head as a baby, Ratface?" Carjiga thumped his partner's head. "That is a stupid plan! If we wait, it'll be too dark to see anything! Do you know what would happen then?"

"Uh…we might trip and fall on each other?"

"No, you bumbling idiot! We might attack our own men. More importantly, we might kill off those women. Remember, we're doing this for Migal!"

"Oh right! You're so smart, Carjiga. You'll have to excuse this scatterbrained nitwit. I could never come up with a plan as intelligent as yours..."

"Enough! Don't be such a kiss-ass, Ratface. Okay, men. Surround the fortress and if any of the men dare to try and escape, obliterate them. Now go!" Carjiga smirked as everyone got in position. However, it faded when he saw one man who was still standing in the same spot, looking rather uninterested.

"Dorcas, right? How about doing something useful for once? We don't pay you to swing that axe around just for fun. Show us what you're worth!"

Dorcas didn't flinch, nor did he say anything. Instead, he merely tore his eyes away from his boss and joined up with the other bandits about to surround the fort.

* * *

Kent stood stiff as a board with his lance gripped firmly in his hand, keeping a vigilant eye out for any trouble. He could hear all sorts of shenanigans going on in the fort: Wil cracking unfunny jokes, Sain professing his undying love to Florina (whom he pictured to be curled up into a corner), and Lyn and Natalie talking about various things. A part of him wished to join their camaraderie, but he knew that some sacrifices had to be made as a knight. Kent sighed.

_Maybe Sain is right. I am…or always was a little uptight._ Even since boyhood, Kent had always obsessed over his conduct and manners. His demeanor tended to drive away the other children, earning him a reputation of being an overly responsible loner. It bothered his parents to see him act that way, but he himself preferred that lifestyle, which didn't make sense to anyone. Sain often enjoyed mocking him for it; whenever Kent couldn't recall a memory from his youth, he said that Kent didn't remember his childhood because he never had one.

Kent straightened himself up again when he realized he let his mind wander a bit. He squinted his eyes up at the horizon, watching the dying rays of sunlight slowly vanish into the night. Darkness would soon take its place, the only light source being the reflection of the moon. Kent carefully examined the area once more before he would let Sain take over his shift. After seeing nothing, he was about to turn his heel and leave when a certain rustling in the bushes caught his attention. He snapped back around and gripped his lance tighter. Cautiously, he approached the shaking bushes and slowly separated the branches with his lance. Something jumped at him and he immediately sprang back, preparing to thrust his lance right into the…deer? The deer flinched at Kent's sudden actions and pranced off into the woods. Kent sighed and shook his head. He let his lance down and started to return to the fortress when he heard rustling noises again, louder this time.

_If it's another deer…_ Kent's eyes widened in surprise when he saw a glimpse of clothing in the shadows. The numbers increased ten fold as shapes of men came into focus, and before Kent could make any reaction, bandits came rushing towards him in all directions, weapons ready to attack. Kent instantly made a dash into the fortress, barely ducking as an arrow whizzed passed him. The horses whinnied in alarm when Kent burst through the entrance. The impact of the door cracked the stone walls and the loud noise echoed throughout the building. Everyone jolted upright and focused their attention on Kent.

"Jeez, Kent." Sain grumbled. "Must you be so rough?"

"Kent, what's wrong?" Lyn asked when she noticed the grave look on Kent's face.

"Bandits!" He said. "They're surrounding the fortress! I believe they're with the ones we faced last time."

"So they're back for more, eh?" Wil grunted as he stood up and readied his bow and arrow. "Well, let's go out and get this over with."

"No, Wil." Lyn said. "We can't just leave Natalie here unprotected. We'll let them bring the fight to us."

"Lady Lyndis…maybe I should..." Natalie attempted to stand, but faltered and sunk back to the ground.

"Miss Natalie, please try not to move." Florina laid Natalie down into a more comfortable position. "We'll keep you safe."

Natalie still looked a little unsettled, but slowly nodded. "Okay. I'll place my trust in you."

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" Lyn announced. "Guard Natalie and fend off the bandits."

"There's hoards of them." Kent added. "So keep your strength up. Sain, you and I will take the south entrance."

"Wil, you'll accompany me to the eastern door. Florina, stay near Natalie and take over for Kent or Sain if one of them gets tired."

"Hah! A knight of Caelin never tires from duty!" Sain proclaimed.

Kent rolled his eyes. "I'll pretend that you're actually being serious about this. Let's get ready, Sain."

"Lyn…" Florina caught her friend's arm as she was about to leave. "Please be careful."

"Don't worry, Florina." Lyn gave her a reassuring grin. "This will all be over before we know it."

* * *

"Attack!" Carjiga bellowed.

The bandits roared in response and started their assault on the fortress. Kent and Sain immediately appeared at the front entrance, but that didn't faze or slow their movement once. Two bandits quickly met their demises as soon as they got into the cavaliers' attack range. Lyn and Wil sprinted down the corridor towards the eastern door and were immediately greeted by a man wielding an axe. Lyn's mouth opened when she noticed how familiar the man looked.

"W-Wait! You're…" Lyn cut herself off when the man suddenly hurled his axe that would have decapitated her if Wil hadn't pulled her out of the way. The axe boomeranged back right into its owner's hands.

"Lyndis, are you all right?" Wil asked.

Lyn felt a little winded from the sudden attack, but was otherwise unscathed. "I'm fine. Look, Wil, I need you to go back and help Kent and Sain. Don't worry about me; I have a feeling I can sway that man onto our side."

Wil looked uncertain, but complied with his leader's orders. "Okay, don't get yourself killed though. Good luck."

Lyn nodded and turned towards the man that just attacked her.

"Well?" the man asked. "Aren't you going to retaliate?"

Lyn narrowed her eyebrows and sheathed her sword, much to the man's astonishment.

"Your name is Dorcas right?" She asked.

"How…how did you…"

"Your wife Natalie told us."

"Wait…Natalie…when and where did you see her?!"

"Just now! She's inside the fortress!"

"Oh no…" Dorcas massaged his temples.

"Dorcas, Natalie explained everything to us. Look, we know you need the money, but joining with bandits is not the way to go."

"I had no other choice. This was the only way…"

"But Natalie…she was worried for you so she came to look for you. How do you think she'd feel if she saw what lengths you would go to just to get gold?"

Dorcas furrowed his brows together as he contemplated this. "You're…you're right. You know what? I'm done with these ruffians. Let me join your side."

"Dorcas!" A bandit came running towards him with his weapon in hand. "What're you doing, talking with that woman? Capture her already!"

Dorcas glared and wound his arm up. The man stopped.

"W-What? You're turning traitor on us? You…you son of a…!"

Before he could finish, Dorcas flung his axe at full speed, lodging the blade right into the man's skull. Lyn winced but was nevertheless relieved that she was able to get Dorcas out of his predicament.

"May I see Natalie?" Dorcas asked after he retrieved his axe.

"S-Sure…" Lyn tried to hide the anxiety in her voice. _Remember, he's on your side now. _"Come this way."

Dorcas nodded as he and Lyn quickly ran down the corridors. Meanwhile, the number of bandits seemed to be decreasing, thanks to Kent's skills, Sain's relentless fighting, and Wil's arrows.

"Kent, Sain, you guys all right?" Wil asked. "Both of you are covered in blood."

"Don't worry, my friend." Sain grinned. "It's mostly our enemies' blood that stains our clothes. In fact, I think it's scaring those bandits away. They're few in numbers now."

"Don't relax just yet, Sain." Kent reminded him. "There's another wave coming over our way right now."

"Wow, they never give up, do they?"

Florina stood behind them, making sure Natalie was doing okay through all the fighting. A bang rattled the structure of the fortress, catching Florina off guard.

"What was that?!" Natalie exclaimed.

"I'll go see what it is." Florina announced.

There was a huge crack in one of the walls that increased in size as it was mercilessly ravaged by the bandits outside. Someone swung their axe so hard, that the walls just gave way and exploded into dust and rubble.

"Bandits just broke through the western wall!" Florina yelped.

As soon as they heard her warning, Lyn, Dorcas, and Wil came sprinting into her direction, meeting an archer, a swordsman, and an axe-wielder halfway. Dorcas threw his axe at the archer, but the man was able to dodge and fire an arrow into Dorcas's shoulder, whom just removed it as if it were a splinter. Florina dove down and was able to take down the swordsman, but then noticed she was the perfect target of an arrow; however, Wil managed to shoot the archer down just in time. Lyn sliced open the axe wielder's chest, somersaulted over his shoulder, and ran him through the back.

"Is everyone all right back there?" Kent called.

"We're doing okay, Kent." Lyn responded. "How's the bandit problem outside?"

"There's not that many left." Sain answered. "But they just keep coming. They're very relentless."

Lyn nodded and faced her group. "We can take a breather for now. But stay on your guard."

"Dorcas!"

Dorcas glanced to the side and saw his wife stumbling towards him on her crutch. He immediately ran towards her and held her tight in his arms.

"Natalie…" He cooed.

"Oh, Dorcas. I was so worried about you. Ever since you left, I just couldn't bear the thought that something would happen to you. Please…just forget about my foot and come home. I miss you, Dorcas."

"I'm so sorry, Natalie. I just wanted to see you get better…I let it get to my head. But Lyn helped me."

"She did?"

"Yes. You see…"

"Milady Lyndis!" Wil hollered. "Bandits from the east side!"

Dorcas grasped his wife's shoulders. "We'll talk about it later. Wait here and let me finish off the bandit problem. The doctor said you shouldn't be putting any weight on your leg anyways."

"Okay. Be safe, my love."

Dorcas smiled and planted a brief kiss on Natalie's forehead before running off to accompany Lyn, Florina, and Wil. As the battle wore on, more bandits fell to swords, lances, axes, and arrows, and the numbers just kept getting smaller and smaller, much to the distress of the two ringleaders.

"Still can't believe that scumbag Dorcas betrayed us." Carjiga spat. "He was probably the best man we could find."

"Yeah, he's skilled." Ratface responded. "But he wouldn't do any work!"

The two continued to watch as more bandits attempted to attack the fort until they were easily felled by Lyn and her comrades. Carjiga cursed as two more bandits met their ends on Kent's and Sain's swords.

"Dammit. We just lost Rasputin and Cade." Carjiga growled.

"C-Carjiga…if we keep going at this rate, the Ganelon Bandits will be no more." Ratface said. "We should just…retreat."

Carjiga sighed in frustration. "Yeah, I don't really feel like getting gutted like a pig by those two knights. For once I agree with you, Ratface. Damn…Migal's gonna be kicking my ass in the afterlife for this. Men! Forget them, we're leaving! If you want to live, then get the hell outta there!"

The bandits looked to see their bosses running off into the woods. This motivated them to drop their weapons and follow behind them, the survivors numbering less than twenty.

"That's right!" Sain taunted. "You better run, cravens! Run home to your mothers like the cowards you are! This is what happens when you take on Lyndis's Legion!"

"All right, Sain, that's enough." Kent, for the first time in a while, smiled amusedly at Sain's antics. "Milady Lyndis, the bandits have retreated."

"Then…we've won!" Lyn cheered. "Good job, everyone!"

Florina released a sigh of relief and Wil raised his bow as a token of victory. Dorcas balanced his axe against the wall and returned to Natalie's side again.

"Dorcas, there's something I want to talk to you about." Natalie said.

"What is it?" Dorcas asked.

Natalie pulled Dorcas closer to her and whispered something in his ear.

"Are you sure?"

Natalie smiled and nodded in response.

Dorcas smirked. "Very well then. Miss Lyn?

"What is it, Dorcas?" Lyn asked while everyone gathered around.

"I must bid you all goodnight. I need to take Natalie home."

"Do you want one of us to go with you?" Kent offered.

"That won't be necessary. Our village isn't far away from here. But I'll be back in the morning."

"You're coming back? For what?" Lyn inquired.

"Natalie and I talked it over. If it's all right…I'd like to go with you."

"But…we'll be travelling to Lycia."

"It wouldn't matter if you were going all the way to Etruria. I'm still a little short on gold…so I need to go somewhere to earn it. Besides, consider this as my way of repaying my debt to you for protecting Natalie."

Lyn was speechless for a while. "Are…is this what you want?"

Natalie smiled and encircled her arms around her husband's bicep. "This is what we want. Please, Lyn, make sure my husband takes care of himself."

"Okay. Take care of yourself too, Natalie. Welcome to the team, Dorcas."

Dorcas nodded and carefully scooped Natalie into his arms. The group watched as Dorcas carried Natalie back to their village. Lyn was happy she could help them, but she felt a little sadness inside. Their love for each other reminded her of how her own parents used to be when they were still alive.

"There goes a devoted husband." Wil commented.

"They were very nice people." Florina agreed. A yawn unexpectedly escaped from her. "Ah…excuse me."

Everyone chuckled, much to Florina's embarrassment.

"It is getting late." Kent said. "You better get some rest."

"Ah finally!" Sain was about to make a dive for the hay when Kent caught his shoulder.

"Not you. We have to keep watch, remember?"

Sain stifled a groan. "Ah yes…that's right…"

Lyn still seemed concerned. "Are you sure you can handle it, Sain? …Sain?"

Sain's eyes were starting to close until Kent snapped him out of his trance.

"Er, uh, what? Oh yeah! Yeah I can handle it!"

"Are you SURE you can keep watch?"

"Of course I can! Remember what I said before? A knight of Caelin never tires from duty!"

"Okay. Just to forewarn you though. You know what bandits are like. They will attack you head on with no hesitation."

"I know! I know!"

"Don't worry." Kent said. "Should anything happen, I'll take care of it. Come on, Sain."

Sain let out a weak laugh. "Heh…no one trusts me."

"Goodnight, everyone." Lyn said, laying down on the hay. The full moon shone brightly through the clouds and the open roof as the stars glimmered happily in their spots. The night was clear and beautiful and it brought back a nostalgic feeling to Lyn, back when she was living with her family on the plains.

_Goodnight, Mother, Father._ A tear rolled down her cheek.

* * *

**A/N: Aw, Lyn :( Tucker didn't show up in this; ah, the neglected life of my poor OC haha. Surprisingly, I really liked writing Dorcas in this, something about his mysterious and gentle personality I guess. I have a feeling he'll be one of my favorite characters to write for in this series. Currently in the middle of doing the next chapter, but struggling with writer's block and make-up homework. But I shall keep on! Read and Review please! **


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